


In Each Other's Shoes

by Nightmare_Taichou



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Eventual Romance, Friendship, Humor, M/M, body switch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 12:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 213,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13613190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightmare_Taichou/pseuds/Nightmare_Taichou
Summary: After the practice match with Kaijou, both Kuroko and Kise found themselves in a horrifying predicament - they've switched bodies. With Inter-High Preliminaries right around the corner, can the two boys imitate each other without their teams finding out? Can Kuroko be the light that leads his team to victory? Will Kise be able to support his team from the shadows?





	1. In Each Other's Shoes

Chapter 1

The sun sneaked in through the space between the curtains, illuminating the dark room. He stirred in his sleep, but he was awoken by a sound. It was a ring, one that he didn't know. He chose to ignore it, as his body felt heavy and tired. But then, it sounded again. Fed up, he deduced that it was a phone, he then reached for it, but before he could get it, it stopped ringing. With a groan, he got up anyway and stretched. That was when he noticed something…his room was different. As a matter of fact, different would be an understatement. It _wasn't_ his room. Jumping up, he also noticed that his limbs were longer…he was _taller_ ; his bangs weren't blue anymore but were golden. Dashing to the mirror, he nearly died of shock. He was no longer Kuroko Tetsuya but Kise Ryouta.

"How did this happen?" Kuroko asked himself as he touched his ― Kise's cheek. Horror filled his now brown eyes as this was something that wouldn't have crossed his mind as possible. Quickly, he looked for Kise's phone and proceeded to dial his number. Holding the phone to his ears he waited for his phone to pick up.

_xxxx_

Meanwhile, Kise was still sound asleep. The house was so quiet that he didn't even stir. However, he woke as he heard a sound. Refusing to get up, Kise pulled the sheet over his head, ignoring the incessant ringing. He groaned in misery, wondering what could've brought this on him on a Saturday sprang off the bed but as soon as he did so, the sleep was soon erased out of his eyes and was replaced by confusion. Looking about the room, he noticed that he wasn't in his room anymore. This room had a well organized book shelf and was painted in sky blue. He noticed that his bangs aren't golden anymore but…blue? He dashed towards the mirror and shrieked in absolute horror. The face that looked back at him wasn't his but Kuroko's. Kise then did something that he hadn't done before.

He screamed.

He screamed so loud that it sounded throughout the neighbourhood. He held his hair in shock almost ripping it out. "I'm Kurokocchi," he breathed out as he collapsed on his fours. Looking at his arms and legs, he realized that he was indeed shorter and Kise was now worrying about how he will deal with this. He was then taken out of his thoughts as the phone rang…again. He quickly grabbed it up and flipped it open; he silently prayed that it was Kuroko on the other end.

"Hello?" he heard the voice say. "Kise-kun?"

His face brightened at that. "Kurokocchi?" he answered. "That's you right Kurokocchi?!" he ended up shrieking. For once, Kise was scared. He didn't know how he ended up in Kuroko's body but at least, Kuroko was in his. He shuddered at the thought of having someone else in his body…someone like Akashi.

"Yes, it's me Kise-kun," Kuroko sighed in the phone.

"Do you know how this happened?" he asked frantically.

"I don't. But I'm coming over, _don't_ go anywhere. We need to sort out whatever this is."

"Sure, how about in two hours time?" Kise asked.

"Alright," both boys hung up the phone and went to get dressed.

_xxxx_

Not knowing what Kise's house is like, Kuroko had almost searched all the rooms before he found the bathroom. The bathroom was different from his. The floor was tiled completely and the walls were painted in golden yellow. He chuckled to himself, seeing that the walls matched Kise's golden hair. To his right, were four towels, all of which were golden. They hung off a rack, which was fastened to the wall. To his left there was the face-basin, pristine white and sparkling. He then stepped over into the shower and began to wash his new body clean.

After he was done, Kuroko went into Kise's room and changed. He looked for a simple jeans and T-shirt. He then took up a hat and went downstairs. He walked slowly down the stairs, not wanting to be taken by surprise at what lies at the bottom. When he finally reached, he looked in the kitchen and spotted a woman busying herself at the stove. She had long golden hair and was of a slim build. Taking another step, he saw that it was just him and the woman in the house. He sighed a relief.

"Ah, you're up Ryoutacchi!" the woman greeted when she realized that he was standing there. A smile played at Kuroko's lips when he heard what she called him. Looking at her, Kuroko realized that Kise got his looks from his mother, and the same naming sense. "You're just in time!" she squealed. But then Kuroko realized that he didn't know what Kise was like at home. He silently prayed that he was the same as always and with a breath, he then put on one of Kise's blinding smiles.

"Good morning Mom!" he made his way to the table and sat down.

"I see you're cheerful as always," she chuckled. "I made your favourite this morning,"

"Ahh, thanks Mom," Kuroko tried his best to pull off Kise's behavior. When she placed the plate in front of him, he cringed. The amount of food on Kise's plate is the same amount that his father would eat. Looking at the food, Kuroko felt like crying. But then again, it's not his stomach but Kise's…so maybe, it'll feel like normal. With that thought, Kuroko ate.

When he finished his breakfast, Kuroko clutched his stomach, as he felt like he was going to burst. Even after he was done, Kise's mother insisted on giving him seconds and thirds…which sadly, he ate it all. He leaned backwards in the chair, throwing his head back to look at the ceiling. That was brutal. That was hell. Kuroko didn't know if he should feel angry or sad…he just wanted his body back as soon as possible.

"Ryoutacchi, are you not feeling well?" Kise's mother then asked, seeing the expression on Kuroko.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why did you ask?"

"You ate less than you usually would. Being in basketball, you have to eat because your body needs those nutrients." She smiled. "I guess that's why you lost to Seirin at your practice match the other day." She then went into the kitchen with the dishes. Kuroko then tried to get up but strangely he felt like he couldn't move. _Kise-kun, you really are a monster,_ Kuroko inwardly cried. He felt so uncomfortable, he was becoming miserable.

"Ano…Mother," Kuroko paused, as he realized that he just called Kise's mother ―Mother. Judging by her bubbly personality, he doubts that Kise ever addressed her in such formality.

"Heh?" she turned around smirking, "You only call me that when you want something, _Ryouta._ "

"You know me too well," Kuroko tried his best at grinning, which luckily, worked out. "I have to meet Kurokocchi within an hour so could I go?"

"That's it? Of course you can!" she piped up. "You should bring him over some time, you always talk about him and never let me meet him Ryoutacchi," she pouted at that.

"I will Mom, thanks." he then got up of his chair and placed a kiss her cheek. He then ran out of the house, exhaling a breath. He felt relieved as he knew that he was bound to screw-up sooner or later. He then put on a cap and tucked Kise's golden hair upwards to be hidden underneath the cap. He knew he couldn't deal with his fangirls now.

Soon, Kuroko reached the station and boarded the train to Tokyo.

_xxxx_

Kise was in same predicament as Kuroko. He had no idea where the bathroom was, but what surprised him was that the house was strangely quiet. He figured that he was alone in the house but doubt that Kuroko lived alone. Pushing those thoughts aside, Kise navigated through the house until he finally found the bathroom. He was almost blinded as he stepped in. Through the small window the sunlight crept in, the white tiles reflecting the light. Everything was white; the tiles, the face-basin, the towels that hung off the rack, the toilet…everything. Shifting towards the window, Kise then tipped up and closed it. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he began his shower.

After he showered, Kise searched for clothes to put on. He found simple white t-shirt and shorts. Since he won't be going anywhere, he decided that he shouldn't wear any jeans. But he noticed that Kuroko was really small compared to him. He laughed as he went downstairs. Reaching in the kitchen, he noticed that there was a note on the fridge.

_Tetsuya,_

_Your mother and I are bringing your grandmother to the doctor for the monthly check-up. Your breakfast is in the fridge, we'll be back soon. Please, don't boil any eggs._

He read it and sighed a relief. At least, he didn't have to face Kuroko's parents without knowing how to act around them. It was then that he remembered that _his_ mother was at home. He wondered how Kuroko was faring but he would have to wait until the other boy arrived. He then entered the kitchen, and found his breakfast. Quickly, he placed it in the microwave and waited.

_xxxx_

Kuroko exited from the train and swiftly walked towards his house. He walked so fast he almost began running, as he didn't want anyone to recognize him. Even though he had on a cap, no one could miss the strands of gold that escaped the hat. And then that height made him stand out stand out so much, Kuroko felt uneasy. Being a shadow for most of his life, Kuroko was used to people not noticing his presence, but being in someone else's body with an overwhelming presence is…frightening.

He made it to Maji Burger and a smile crept onto his face. He was almost home. He continued with his pace, but he remembered the vanilla milkshakes. He craved one now, but due to Kise's mother stuffing him this morning, made him feel sick. Then a thought came into mind. He decided to run.

"Running in Kise-kun's body feels so much different." He reached the stoplight and he felt as though he had barely run. If it was his body, he would've been panting for air. Continuing, he saw his house and he decided to pick up the pace. He was basically sprinting and within no time, he was knocking at his door.

The door then opened and a smile reached Kise's new face. "Kurokocchi!"

"Yes," Kuroko said, slightly panting for air. Kise looked at him and realized that he was sweating.

"Did you run, Kurokocchi?"

"Yes, being in the open in someone else's body scares me Kise-kun." He said as he entered. He went straight to the couch and sat. He then took off the hat and exhaled. Walking over to him, Kise had a look on his face that he would never have.

"What's wrong?"

"How can you eat so little?" he then collapsed on the couch beside him. "What you eat is like appetizer. I had to cook something extra to fill me."

"You're the one who's a monster! This morning I felt like I was going burst!" Kuroko countered. "How can you eat so much?"

"I'm a healthy high school boy who plays basketball, I need all my nutrients." Kise said with a shrug. "Your parents are gone with your grandmother to a check-up. They said they'll soon be back." He changed the subject.

"Ah, it's that time huh? Your mother is at home and what's with your nickname? Ryoutacchi?" Gazing up at Kuroko's face, Kise couldn't do anything but laugh. Kuroko's expression or rather...the lack thereof, was having Kise bust with laughter. Kuroko kept his face stoic, expressionless and saying something like that would usually spark even a little bit of a smile.

"Kurokocchi, if you're going to be me at least have some expression." He chuckled.

Kuroko made a face. "Kise-kun, that is difficult."

"I can imagine. Well around everyone, I'm the same." Kise said folding his arms. "I'm always flamboyant, cheerful, and full of _expression…_ " he stressed the last word a little too much. "There's nothing for you to worry about."

"I see, but you have a _lot_ to worry about." Kuroko said as he stretched. "I call my parents Mom and Dad; I use honorifics when I'm talking to my senpais. I still don't have a sense of humor so please don't try to make any jokes."

"Mou ~" Kise whined. "You're no fun Kurokocchi."

"Sorry Kise-kun," Kuroko said, making his way to the fridge. "So let's talk about how we'll get through training without either of our teams getting panic attacks." He then took a bottle of water.

"That'll be tough." Kise began with a sigh. "After all, I can't use misdirection like you can, let alone do those insane passes."

"Since it's the weekend, we have to practice. But I already have a lack of presence. Once I teach you what to do, you'll be fine."

"But Kurokocchi, you've never seen yourself in action!" Kise said standing up. "You're amazing and your passes are unbelievable! There's no way I'd be able to do that!"

"Kise-kun, all you have to do is pass." Kuroko sighed. "Imagine what _I_ have to do in _your_ body." Hearing what Kuroko said, Kise realized the magnitude of the situation. It's true that all he had to was pass, but he was Kaijou's _ace._ That's a huge gap Kuroko had to fill…and he had to be able to do something by Monday.

"Well then, what are we waiting for Kurokocchi? Let's go!" Kise piped up. He then headed to the door but Kuroko held him back.

"At least, put on something that hides your face. I don't want anyone to actually see us practicing." Kuroko said. "It wouldn't be a good thing if Kagami-kun runs into us."

"Yeah, that's true." Kise said in realization.

"Wait here," Kuroko said. He then went up into his bedroom, and rummaged through his clothes. He then found a grey hoodie, and went downstairs back to Kise. He flung the sweatshirt to Kise and then headed through the door. The two boys then walked down the street to the basketball court, Kise kept spinning the ball on his finger until they reached.

At the court, Kise couldn't help himself. Without a word to Kuroko he dribbled the ball down the court and dunked the ball. He dangled from the hoop for a couple of seconds before letting go. However, due to his new height, he stumbled afterwards and fell on his butt as his feet were not as close to ground as before.

"Kurokocchi, you need to grow some more." Kise whined. "I fell." Kuroko chuckled looking at Kise's face. He never knew what he would look like with these kinds of expressions and it seems that Kise was the right person for him to switch with. His facial expressions were priceless. His chuckles ended up becoming full-blown laughter. Kise looked at Kuroko in shock. He's never seen his Kurokocchi laugh like this before, not even when he's in his _own_ body. Without even a second thought, Kise took out _his_ phone and took a picture. He grinned at the screen.

"Well, isn't this a sight to behold?" he snickered. He quickly put away the phone, and threw the ball at Kuroko who was calming down. The other boy caught the ball, and looked at Kise. "So, when are you going to teach me how to do those insane passes?" he placed a hand on hips; standing akimbo.

"Right now." Kuroko then walked away from Kise. "First, what do you know about how I pass the ball?"

"You don't know hold the ball for too long." Kise started. "When you pass, you twist your entire body depending on the pass."

"You forgot two things – I use my palm to pass the ball and I _observe_ where my teammates are." Kuroko said as he made a bounce pass to Kise who tapped it to send it flying back to Kuroko. "I look around at who's available before getting the ball so I know who I can pass to without hesitation." Kise only nodded. Kuroko then moved to the right, ending in a 45° angle from Kise. "Keep your body facing straight ahead. You're going pass it back to me, so catch!"

Kuroko chest passed the ball and then ran further down the court towards Kise to end up at a 90° angle from the other boy. Glancing to the right, Kise had seen where Kuroko had went so when the ball came near, Kise twists his upper body slightly to the left while stretching out his right hand. When the ball was in position with his right hand, he moved his hand to the right, twisting his body to right as well. The ball ricocheted over to where Kuroko was.

With a smile Kuroko flicked his wrists and passed the ball into an open space, prompting Kise to run after it. When Kise had reached the ball, the most he could manage to do was a bounce pass back to Kuroko. In responding, Kuroko did a simple tap pass and ran further up the court. "Try for a super fast ball Kise-kun!" he called out. Kise froze. He didn't know what to do. All he could remember was from the Teiko days when there were times when the ball cut across the court. _Did Kurokocchi use his palm back then? Or did he punch the ball?_ Thoughts flooded Kise's mind, as he tried to think of how Kuroko would have done that pass. However, before he could do anything, the ball collided with his face as he was sent crashing to the ground.

"Kise-kun!" Kuroko cried out. He ran to the boy and helped him on his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled. "By the way Kurokocchi, how am I supposed to pull off a pass like that?"

"With your palm. Here," Kuroko gestured for the ball and Kise gave him. With a hard enough bounce, the ball was in the air, a little over his head. When it came closer and connected with his palm, he spun very fast and released the ball to fly across the entire court, curving as it went to the backboard. Kise stood in awe.

"I call it the Cyclone Pass. What it does is that it curves around the players on the court as it heads to its destination. " He grinned at Kise. "Now you try. Pass the ball to me from up there." Kise nodded but deep inside he was worried. He didn't know if he could ever pass Kuroko could, after all, Kuroko is specialized in that field while he's an all-rounder. "Kise-kun, please don't worry about it. After all, you've _seen_ how I did it, right?" with that Kise's mood lighten up and he jogged off to the ball.

At the other half of the court, Kise held the ball in his hands and took one more look at where Kuroko was standing. He noticed that the boy was standing on his left, so it would be best if he passed using his left hand. He then got into position. Closing his eyes, he remembered what Kuroko did not too long ago. Re-opening his eyes, a grin appeared on his face. He then spun with the ball in his left palm, and when he deemed it right, he then released ball, sending it flying towards Kuroko. He caught the ball, but the force of it stung him a little. _Now I know what the miracles felt whenever I did this._ He mentally cried. Kise on the other hand was jumping for joy, happy that he managed to get one insane pass down.

Kuroko then jogged up to him and smiled. "You're not bad Kise-kun. If we keep this up, I don't think anyone would get suspicious."

"Yeah," Kise then took the ball, ran down the court and proceeded to dunk. Watching Kise dunk the ball again left Kuroko stunned. Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine himself dunking a ball. But then he remembered that's what he has to do in Kise's body. Not good. He was taken out of his thoughts as he saw Kise fall again.

"Kise-kun," Kuroko called. "Remember that I don't dunk, as a matter of fact, I can't shoot."

"I know that Kurokocchi," Kise grinned. "I just couldn't help myself."

"Kise-kun, I don't grin." He deadpanned.

"And I don't look so stoic, Kurokocchi," Kise sighed. "I think our skills aren't the only things that need working on."

"I know that," Kuroko said, he then took the ball from Kise, "let's continue, break's over."

"Eehh?!" Kise screeched. "That was a break?"

"To make it easier for you," Kuroko said as Kise looked at him with keen eyes. "You should rotate your hips; shift your weight on whichever leg as your palms connect with the ball."

Kuroko then passed the ball to Kise. He tap passed the ball back to Kuroko who then sent it flying in another direction. Running after it, Kise found that Kuroko had changed his position, making Kise have to twist his body to pass. This went on for a while, Kuroko passing the ball to Kise and then changing his position; Kise rotating his hips and looking out for Kuroko's new position _before_ the ball reaches him. Kuroko grinned at himself as this was helping Kise to be more acquainted with his style of passing. What was is even more, both were having fun.

At the end of their ping-pong training session, both boys lay on the court panting for air. Kise had improved, both in speed and efficiency. They took another break, but this time around, it was Kuroko's turn to be taught. He groaned inwardly, knowing that Kise's moves are going to be a lot harder for him re-create. But nonetheless, he was determined to be the best that he could.

"Kurokocchi," he heard Kise groan, "You won't mind if I go hard on you right?"

"No, Kise-kun, I need to at least be convincing to your team on Monday."

"Alrighty ~" Kise jumped up and held out his hand for Kuroko to take it. When both were on their feet, Kise stood in front of Kuroko in a defensive stance. Kuroko moved to the left then right, but every time he did so, Kise would move to match him. Kuroko already knew that passing Kise would be a task as he's not in his rightful body.

"Kurokocchi, if you're being blocked, you have to move faster and smarter than that." Kise smiled at him. " _Kise Ryouta_ would never be stopped by a simple block such as this." Startled at the statement, Kuroko paused a while and in that moment of hesitation, Kise snatched the ball out of Kuroko's hands. He laughed as he made his way to the net, and dunked the ball.

"That's not fair Kise-kun," Kuroko frowned.

"Life's not fair Kurokocchi," Kise shrugged. "I mean, look what happened to us." Kuroko rolled his eyes at Kise. In truth, he hated when his ball gets stolen.

"So how do you suppose I get pass blockers the way _Kise Ryouta_ would?" Kuroko couldn't help but smirk. Even Kise had on an expression of surprise by looking at his own smirking face, but then it changed to playful grin.

"That's quite simple Kurokocchi," he began, continuing to dribble the ball. He dribbled until he reached Kuroko and looked at him dead in the eyes. "I would confuse my blockers," he said as he swiftly moved to the left and then to the right. "Moving like that, or…" he broke off, Kuroko seeing Kise's eyes look to the left. Seeing Kise shift a little, Kuroko thought that Kise would've moved in that direction. However, Kise went right. Kuroko was left there in shock. But then he heard Kise talking. "…I'd deceive them by making them _think_ they know which direction I'm going."

"It's the eyes isn't it?" Kuroko asked.

Kise nodded. "In my case, my opponents are always looking at my face and not the ball as they want to know where I'm going to move next. A person's eyes often tell where they intend to go next, be it passing the ball or simply evading blockers. So if I look left, blockers are going to assume that I'm going to go left, so I go right instead."

Kuroko made a mental note of this. One way to get pass blockers is through the deception of the eyes. For Kuroko that seems easy enough but he knew that the trick won't work every time. He then brought his mind back to reality, as he felt a soft tap on his cheek.

"Kise-kun, what are you doing?"

"You spaced out for a while there."

"Ah, is there another way to get pass blockers? That trick won't work every time."

"Of course, there's the good ol' fashioned way." Kise perked up. "You force your way through."

"Force? Wouldn't that pick up a foul?"

"Nope, using my body's speed, you can easily get pass regular blockers. What you would have to do is continuously move left and right at a speed. Doing that, you build up momentum to make a break at whichever direction, leaving your opponents in your dust." Looking at Kuroko's face, he knew that the boy was trying to imagine it. "Much like how Kagamicchi gets pass when he's blocked." In this instant, he basically saw Kuroko's ― _his_ ― face light up as though struck with a brilliant idea.

_xxxx_

Both boys lay on the court, panting for air. Kise was the worst affected being that Kuroko's body isn't as strong as his original body. He was tired and worn out; he made a mental note to do some speed and stamina training. So far, he's able to use misdirection and pass to an extent but some are still not up to Kuroko's level. As for Kuroko, he's got the easiest of shooting down: dunking, being that he's now taller. In terms of moves, he's able to get pass a single block; he can do crossovers and such. However, since Kise stockpiled a good amount of moves, he'd have to re-learn them from Kise…before Inter-High preliminaries.

It was already late evening, and Kuroko decided to call Kise's mother. She probably is wondering where her son could be, especially at this hour. With Kise beside him to give him instructions, Kuroko was actually a lot calmer than this morning. Dialing the house number, after two rings, it picked up.

"Hello?" Kise's mother answered.

"Mom, it's me Ryouta."

"Ryoutacchi?! Where are you? Are you coming home soon? Did you eat?"

"Sorry, Mom, Kurokocchi was helping me study and tutoring me but we got a little carried away." Kuroko said, imitating Kise as best as he could. Kise then took the phone and spoke.

"I'm extremely sorry Kise-san. It was never my intention to have Kise-kun stay this late…but he needed help." Even though Kise pulled off a near perfect imitation of Kuroko, he was trembling. He didn't want any slip of the tongue to occur, especially since he usually talked about Kuroko at home, she had an idea of what the boy was like.

"Ah, at least he was with a friend. Thank you Kuroko-kun."

"You're welcome Kise-san." Kise said. After the phone hung up, Kise let out a breath he hadn't realized that he'd been holding. The two stayed at the court a little while longer, but then a thought cut cross Kise's mind.

"Kurokocchi, could I stay at my house with you for this week?"

"Huh?" Kuroko asked, totally surprised. "Why Kise-kun?"

"I was thinking that we should stay with each other until we can imitate each other." Kise smiled. "And plus, Kurokocchi, there are many things we need to fix, if we're apart, we won't make that much progress."

"You do have a point," Kuroko said tapping his chin. "How do you propose I talk to your mother about this?"

"You could always say that 'Kurokocchi's helping you with your studies'." Kise smiled. "My mother is hardly at home during the week anyway…so there's not much to worry about in terms of parents."

"Fine," Kuroko got up and walked towards the exit of the court. Kise followed closely behind him. "But you better tell _my_ parents."

_xxxx_

Kise walked through Kuroko's door, and was greeted by a hug. When the person released him, he saw that he was staring into big blue orbs and he realized that it was the first time that he'd seen Kuroko's mother. She had blue eyes just like Kuroko; her hair was a flood of light blue behind her. Kise then realized that if it weren't for the hug, he probably wouldn't notice her. She was shorter than him, and Kise laughed to himself, saying that Kuroko probably got her height.

"Welcome home, Tetsu-chan." she smiled.

"Mom," Kise began, "Could I stay over at Kise-kun's for a week?"

"Huh? Where'd that come from?"

"I was helping Kise-kun with his studies and so we decided that it would be more effective if I stayed at his house."

"Well, you can. Ask your father and see what he thinks about it too." She then walked away from Kise going further into the house. Kise followed her and saw a man sitting around the table. He had milky brown hair which was done in a sweep to the left; his grey eyes clearly had worry filled in them. Kise deduced that it was probably due to him and Kuroko practicing so late. He looked warm and welcoming, as he wore a pleasant smile on his face.

"You're home Tetsuya." He smiled. "You had me worried,"

"Yes Dad." Kise bowed. He went to sit beside the man, and strangely, Kise felt at ease with Kuroko's father. Even his mother, there was something about the two that Kise liked. "Ano, Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Could I stay for a week at Kise-kun's? I was helping him with his studies but we need more time and he's hopeless if it's not basketball related."

"A week at Kise-kun's? Just to study…" he tapped his chin in thinking. "Alright. But if you say that he's hopeless, doesn't that mean you're going to need more than one week? It's good that you want to help Kise-kun that much so go on ahead."

"Thank you Dad. I'm going to pack my things." With that, Kise dashed towards Kuroko's room without even looking back. Kuroko's father was about to say something, but because the boy had disappeared so fast, he held it back. Upon reaching the room, Kise dialed his phone number to speak to Kuroko.

"Yes, Kise-kun?"

"Kurokocchi! Your father agreed!" Kise squealed with joy. "We'll be living together!"

"Isn't that great Kise-kun."

"Kurokocchi, can't you be at least a little excited?"

"I am."

"Fine." Kise sighed and hung up the phone. He was beaming with joy when he remembered what he would be doing. He grinned, knowing that he'd learn Kuroko's passes. He's always admired Kuroko's passes, and the one time he'd actually be able to do it. He'd often time wondered how Kuroko how did it, but right now he's getting a 'front-row seat' to it. But he couldn't help but worry for Kuroko. To be able to play like him ― Kise Ryouta, Kaijou's ace and a member of the Generation of Miracles would be tough indeed. He clenched his fists and made his made his resolve. He decided that he would make Kuroko Tetsuya the best imitation of Kise Ryouta. He the sighed as he knew it wouldn't be no easy feat and what's worse, Inter-High was right around the corner.

"Shit, we have to work fast." He mumbled. Then he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." he said in his best Kuroko voice.

"Tetsuya, this is the first I've seen you in such a rush to something that's not basketball related."

"Sorry, but I'm just a little excited." Kise chuckled nervously.

Kise saw Kuroko's father's face lit up. "And why's that? You don't talk that much about Kise-kun since you left Teikou. I've heard all about Kagami-kun and Hyuuga-senpai and the rest of the team."

"Ah, to be honest, Kise-kun is my best friend. I don't really talk about him because we don't go to the same school anymore." Kise looked down to the floor, not wanting Kuroko's father to notice that he just lied about 'Kise-kun' being Kuroko's best friend. Looking into things, he began to wonder if Kuroko actually had a _best friend._

"You surprised me there Tetsuya. When last did you talk to Ogiwara-kun?"

"Ah, Dad…" Kise started. He began to worry as he didn't know who the hell this "Ogiwara-kun" was. Kise still didn't reply, as he was drawing blanks as to how to answer the question. "It's been a while Dad. Because of basketball and such…"

"You should keep in touch. But I hope you have fun at Kise-kun's. I'll give you two weeks."

"Yeah, I plan to." A smirk played on Kise's lips as he heard the last part of the sentence. _Two weeks, huh?_

_xxxx_

At Kise's house, Kuroko found it hard to ask Kise's mother. The two were sitting around the table having dinner, Kuroko once more wanted to cry. Kise is a monstrous eater…Kuroko shuddered at this. He'd have to stuff his stomach with food for the second time.

"Ryoutacchi, is there something bothering you?" his mother asked.

"Ano, could Kurokocchi stay over for a week?" he finally asked.

"Hmm, why Ryoutacchi?"

"Because we never finished our study session and I thought that it would be best if he stays and continues to help me. If we're apart, we won't make much progress." He actually spoke like himself this time; he silently prayed that Kise's mother won't think he's out of character.

"It's fine with me." She said. "It's good to have Kuroko-kun over some time. I'm actually glad that you're taking this seriously Ryoutacchi." she smiled. "Kuroko-kun can stay as long as he wants. As long as it's to improve your grades, I agree with him staying over."

"Thank you." Kuroko said, eating his dinner.

"But, could he come over tomorrow?"

"Sure Mom, but why?"

"You forgot?" she chuckled. "I'm going to be leaving you for a month and I want to meet him before I leave."

"Oh." Was all Kuroko could utter as he sat in shock.


	2. Living With Each Other

Chapter 2

...

Kise knocked at the door of his house, waiting for someone to answer. He had reached surprisingly early, wanting to be away from Kuroko's house before he slips up. He was taken out of his thoughts when the door opened. He saw a woman with long golden hair and brown eyes standing before him. _His_ mother.

"Good morning Kise-san," he greeted.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun," she jumped in shock as she didn't notice him there. "Please come in!" she chirped. He laughed to himself, as his mother has not changed one bit. When he entered his house, the first person he saw was Kuroko. As a matter of fact, Kuroko ran up to him and embraced him in a suffocating bear hug.

"Kurokocchi!" Kuroko squealed. "I'm so glad you came!" he released him and then saw the luggage that he had. "Let me bring that up to the room for you." Kuroko took them and went up the stairs. Kise could only look on in shock. He was surprised that Kuroko imitated him very well. A smile crept onto his face, as it seemed as though imitating his personality won't be an issue for Kuroko.

As for Kuroko, he felt like dying. Imitating Kise is easy as he knew what to do but to _actually_ do it…that's where it's taxing. To act so childish…Kuroko hated it. _How do you do this every day Kise-kun?_ And what's worse, Kuroko had no idea how long this situation will last. He entered the room, and placed the bags on the bed. He really didn't want to go back down there. With Kise's mother at home, he'd have to look at Kise and address him as 'Kurokocchi'. The thought made him shudder. He did not like this at all, but he knew that it was only getting worse. He sighed in resignation, and stood up to go downstairs. When he reached the door, he felt himself bump into something, but couldn't see what it was.

"Kurokocchi, you could at least say sorry you know." Kise whined.

"Huh?" looking down, Kuroko realized that Kise was standing before him. He made a yelp as he staggered backwards. He hadn't noticed Kise standing there. He hadn't noticed his _own body_ standing before him. He now knew that others felt when they don't notice him. "Please don't scare me like that Kise-kun. I'll get angry." He said in his usual monotone.

"What?" Kise said as he busts out laughing. "But you do this all the time to us!"

"It's not my fault you guys don't realize that I'm there."

"Tsch," Kise couldn't find anything to counter Kuroko with. "Anyway, why don't we head to the basketball court? Tomorrow is Monday, we can't waste any time."

"Let's go at noon. We need time to make our plan of action." Kuroko said going back to Kise's bed. He then sat down and prompted Kise to follow. "Let's start by telling me more about yourself, Kise-kun." Kise turned red at that statement.

"I thought I'd never see the day!" he squealed in delight as he enveloped Kuroko in a bear hug. "My Kurokocchi actually wants to know me better!"

"Kise-kun, I have to. I'm in your body, remember?"

"Fine, I'll start." He huffed.

_xxxx_

Kise's mother walked up to her son's room with food to give the boys. As she approached the room, she heard laughter. Slowly opening the door, she saw both boys talking and enjoying each other's company.

"That's not even the half of it!" she saw 'Kuroko' say. "My senpais get even crazier than that!"

"Boys," she called in a sing-song voice. They looked at her with surprise and shock, wondering how long she had been standing there."How about some snacks?"

"Thanks Mom. Kurokocchi and I are going out for a bit," Kuroko walked over to her. "You won't mind if we take these with us right?"

"No, but where are you two going?" she asked.

"I don't really know Kanagawa, so Kise-kun was going to show me the exciting places." Kise answered.

"Alright, have fun now boys, but _don't_ stay out too late." With that, she left the room. Kuroko could hear the threat in your voice, and he didn't want to find out what would happen if they stayed out late like the last time. He then tugged at Kise's shirt as he walked out of the room. Once they were out of the house and onto the road, Kuroko let out a sigh.

"You sure know how to lie through your teeth,"

Kise smirked. "When you have an army of fangirls like I do, then lying becomes a weapon that needs constant sharpening."

"Oh really now, Kise-kun."

"Yes really Kurokocchi!" Kise shouted.

_xxxx_

At the court, Kuroko saw that there were cones lying about. This immediately gave him an idea. Kise didn't seem to realize or he chose to ignore them.

"I don't know how long this will last but I just got an idea for you to better my passes." Kuroko said as he walked ahead of Kise. The boy then realized that Kuroko was picking up the cones and placing them at different areas on the court. Kise was about to question Kuroko but he held back.

"Kise-kun," Kuroko called. "I want you to pass to this cone," he pointed at the cone that was closest to the net, "…without the ball touching the other cones."

"Ehh?" Kise said in shock. "We only did this yesterday."

"Stop it Kise-kun." Kuroko said. "You can do it." He took the basketball and threw it to Kise. He then motioned for Kise to stand in the midst of the cones. Kise stood in the middle of the court with a cone in front of him; he deemed it to be a defender. Looking about, he saw that cones were set in a full court man-to-man. He looked at Kuroko who had on a tiny smile on his face.

"Pass the ball in any way to me,"

Wordlessly, Kise did a chest pass to Kuroko who when the ball came in contact with his palm, he used his left hand to send it flying to the cone. It knocked over the cone and that cone only. Kise was breathless. _Amazing,_ he was taken out of his thoughts by Kuroko.

"You can try Kise-kun; after all, you were very good yesterday."

"Fine," Kise murmured. Inhaling, Kise closed his eyes and visualized what Kuroko did and what he did yesterday.

"You ready?" Kuroko asked.

"No, but let's do this anyway." He shrugged. Kuroko then did a bounce pass to Kise. When it hit the palm of his hand, he pivoted and shot the ball using his right hand. The ball flew towards the cone, knocking it over. The ball actually made it to the cone only tipping one of the other cones.

"Ku-Kurokocchi!" Kise jumped. "I did it!"

"Not quite Kise-kun," Kuroko said, pointing to the wobbling cone.

"Mou ~" he started to whine, "You can't be serious Kurokocchi!"

"Yes, I am." Kuroko deadpanned. "But you did pretty great yesterday, don't forget that. How about we continue what we were doing yesterday…only that we add the cones." Kuroko smiled. Kise paled. It was difficult enough to keep up with Kuroko yesterday and now he's adding obstacles? Kise mentally groaned and he knew Kuroko wasn't going to let up on him, so he decided to face his fate. However, he swore to take revenge on Kuroko when it's his time to teach. He was brought back to reality when he saw a basketball flying to his face. Instinctively, Kise used his right hand to the left, making the ball bounce over a cone and knocked over another. A smirk came onto Kuroko's face.

For the next few minutes, the two were engaged in a series of passes, the target changing from the different cones on the court to Kuroko himself. Kuroko would pass like a normal basketball player to Kise who would try to make the pass bend to the target. Kise was getting better and better, and when Kuroko saw this he felt at ease. Kise could actually fool the team tomorrow. But the problem lies with him.

"Kise-kun, I think we can stop here."

"Finally," Kise sighed. "My arms were beginning to seize up."

"You're getting better; you'll make a pretty good 'Kuroko Tetsuya'." Kuroko smiled. "Then again, that's the least of our problems." Hearing this, Kise knew that what Kuroko said was right. He could always watch some of the old Teikou matches to see what Kuroko was like in official matches and not practicing with cones. But Kuroko has to learn all sorts of moves. As an ace, he is the one who would score most of the shots. _He would become a 'Light'._ Kise chuckled at that, the boy who was always referring to himself as a shadow has now become the light. But then what's worst, Kuroko can't shoot from day one; so he has to be able to shoot, dribble properly…thinking on all these things Kise let out a groan. _This will not be easy for Kurokocchi,_ he perked up and put on a smile at Kuroko.

"You said it Kurokocchi! Let's go!"

"Wait, what are we doing?"

"Dribbling."Kise grinned deviously. He took the ball from Kuroko and started. He was dribbling normally but then he slightly leant forward, catching Kuroko off guard. "This first one I'll teach you is the crossover dribble. Try to steal the ball." Kuroko got into position but due to Kise's grins he was uneasy. He knew what a crossover dribble looked like, but he never really tried it. After all, he didn't need to. Kise continued to dribble while Kuroko tried to steal the ball. But every time he reached for the ball, Kise would switch the hand that the ball was in.

"In a crossover dribble, the player switches from one hand to other using a single dribble. It's mostly used to keep the ball in the hand furthest from the defender." Kise explained. "It's used in a combo so to speak; make the crossover," Kise said this as he did the action, "get around the defender," he continued as he managed to get pass Kuroko, "drive to the basket." He finished as he made his way to the hoop. He stopped, and sent the ball in Kuroko's direction. Kuroko could only stand and stare. _This dribbling session is going to take a while._ Kuroko mentally sighed. Thank God he was already familiar with basketball.

_xxxx_

Kuroko sat on the court, breathless. His arms and legs felt like they were turning into jello. He and Kise were constantly at it, practicing the crossover and hesitation dribbles. When he looked to Kise, the boy looked as though he was dying. Kuroko knew that his body wasn't as strong as Kise's and he sincerely felt it for the other right now. Getting up, Kuroko took Kise under the arm and pulled him up. The two then headed over to where their bags were and took out the snacks.

"Kurokocchi," Kise groaned. "I can't continue like this."

"What do you mean Kise-kun? I don't ―"

"I mean your body feels like it's on the verge of collapsing! You need stamina and speed Kurokocchi!"

"Ah, that's what you meant."

"I'm going to have to help your body in that department Kurokocchi." The way Kise grinned gave Kuroko an uneasy feeling. "I'll have your stamina and speed increase and also, that diet of yours needs to go." He sighed. "I still can't understand how you eat so little and play basketball."

"It's not my fault Kise-kun." Kuroko huffed as he folded his arms.

"Haah? Kurokocchi, I think you need to tell me about yourself too. Every like, dislike, habits…everything."

"Kise-kun, if you know everything then you would become even more annoying." Kuroko said bluntly.

"Wahh!" Kise wailed. "So mean!" he sniffed. "I just wanted to be the best Kuroko Tetsuya, that's all."

Kuroko chuckled, seeing Kise's expression. "But I don't mind. When we get home, I'll tell you what you want to know." Kise beamed at that. He practically jumped onto his feet, grabbing Kuroko's collar in the process.

"We don't have time to waste! Let's go over what we did so we can go home!" He shouted, beaming with joy. Kuroko groaned at this. _Where does Kise-kun get so much energy from? Didn't he feel like he was dying after all that practicing?_ Sighing in defeat, Kuroko followed Kise onto the court, much to his misery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Kuroko's First Day at Kaijou

Chapter 3

...

Kuroko was a nervous wreck. He neared the entrance of Kaijou High and even so, many girls kept pestering him for autographs or just for him to acknowledge them. Kuroko hated it. And what's worse he _had_ to act like Kise. So with a breath, Kuroko waved to the girls, giving them a smile with it, and even winked to some. When he entered through the gate, he quickly rushed to Kise's classroom, to avoid being seen by the girls. But unfortunately, Kise has an overwhelming presence, and bright golden hair. There's no way people are going to miss a shock of gold streaming through the hallway.

When he reached Kise's class, his ears were assaulted by a chorus of 'good mornings'. The girls were all beaming and poor Kuroko wished that the earth could swallow him whole.

"Ah, good morning to you all too." He said with a smile.

"How are you doing today, Kise-kun?"

"Can I have your autograph Kise-kun?"

"Can I take a picture of you Kise-kun?"

Kuroko began to tune them out as he made his way to his seat. _These girls are unbelievable!_ He sat down and placed his head on the desk. He thought that by doing so, the noise would stop. However, it only got worse. Thinking that he was sick, they crowded around him and began pestering him about how he is feeling. He groaned in misery, but he kept his head down on the desk.

"I'm fine, I just want to sleep that's all." He said to them. "But I need quiet to do so." This time, he glared at them, which made them step back in fear. The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving Kuroko alone at his seat. He then took out his ― Kise's phone and messaged the other boy.

"This is going to be a long day," Kuroko mumbled to himself.

_xxxx_

Kuroko had a hard time adjusting to Kaijou. One: he found out the hard way that the captain was extremely violent; two: one of the senpais' speech was incomprehensible, and three: the other senpai reminded him of a hopeless romantic. Kise had told him about his team but to experience it was something completely different. Kuroko was in a pinch indeed. Kaijou's basketball regulars were a bunch of lunatics…inwardly he chuckled. It's not that much different from Seirin either.

He sat on the bench during a break, drinking water. Looking around, he kept observing the regulars. A smirk came onto his face as a plan popped into his head. _Kasamatsu-san is a very good point guard and could shoot three pointers. Sometimes he seemed to be a mix between Hyuuga-senpai and Izuki-senpai. Moriyama-san is an irregular shooter but with his build he could be good at screens. Hayakawa-san is very good at rebounding and Kobori-san…_ Kuroko was taken out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright Kise?" Kuroko looked up to see a guy with glasses and ash-blond hair. He could only manage a nod. If only he could remember his name, but he remembered that that guy's defense was extremely good. He knew that Kise hadn't really done much teamwork practice, so he was going to do it for him. Well, since he didn't know how long he'd be trapped within Kise's body, he thought that he could find a partner for matches…like at Seirin.

"Coach," Kuroko called.

"Hmm?" Takeuchi barely answered.

"Is it possible to request a three-on-five mini game?"

Takeuchi was taken by shock, "Why would you want that Kise?"

"There's something I want to try." Kuroko couldn't help but smirk. He found that while in Kise's body, he was smirking and smiling more than he would usually. _Damn Kise's facial muscles,_ he cursed.

"Alright."

"My partners are Kasamatsu-senpai and…" he said as he got up. He then walked over to Nakamura, "…him," he placed a hand on the guy's shoulder.

"Kasamatsu and Nakamura?" Takeuchi sighed. He knew that Kise was a proud boy, but he wanted to see just what the boy intended to do. "Fine," he blew the whistle. Everyone on the court stopped, and looked in the coach's direction. "Gather around everyone." The boys made their way to the bench where the coach and Kuroko were. With a sigh, he looked at them.

"Kise proposed something. A three-on-five match." After the coach said this there was a collective 'Eh?' from the boys there.

"What are you thinking Kise?!" Kasamatsu barked at him, giving him a kick to go with it.

"Senpai!" Kuroko wailed trying to imitate Kise.

"Team yellow is Kise, Kasamatsu and Nakamura." Takeuchi began. Nakamura face paled. He was going to face off against a team of five with only two other guys on his team. "Team red is Moriyama, Hayakawa, Kobori, Shinohara and Matsumoto. The game will start in three minutes."

"Oi Kise!" Kasamatsu called the blond boy. Kuroko mentally sighed as he almost didn't respond. He was Kuroko Tetsuya still just not in his correct body.

"Yes Senpai?"

"Seriously, what were you thinking? We're at a two man disadvantage!"

"I want to try something." Kuroko then turned to Nakamura. "Since we're two men short, I'll be needing you on defense. Screens and rebounds. Also, in the tip-off, if you get the ball, pass it to Kasamatsu-senpai."

"Got it."

Kuroko then turned to Kasamatsu. "When you get the ball from Nakamura-kun if he gets the tip-off, we'll move further into their half. Pass to me as quickly as possible before a defender comes to block you. There's a possibility that they'll triple team me but don't worry about that. If any of you find yourself with the ball and can shoot, then don't hesitate." Kasamatsu only nodded. The coach then blew the whistle; the boys went to get their bibs. Once finished, they then got into their positions on the court, Nakamura and Kobori facing off for the tip-off. Unfortunately Kobori got the ball at tip-off, but Kuroko didn't let that faze him. As soon as he passed the ball to Shinohara, who was dribbling the ball while shouting to the other players, Kuroko noticed something. _He must be their point guard,_ Kuroko thought.

He then looked to Kasamastu and Nakamura and mouthed 'follow me' to them. He then dashed off towards Shinohara with such a speed that the point guard hadn't any time to react. Kuroko stole the ball and continued to dribble down the court. The other team's players were catching up to him, but then he saw Kasamatsu on the outside. He swiftly passed the ball to him, who caught it with ease. Kasamatsu then shot the ball, only to be stopped by Kobori. Kobori then passed to Moriyama, but then it was stolen by Kuroko who, with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying to Nakamura. Before things get worse, Nakamura passed it back to Kuroko who went for the net. He jumped for a dunk but Matsumoto jumped with him to prevent him from dunking. Kuroko smirked, he then passed the ball from behind to Kasamatsu, without hesitation, he shot the ball earning three points.

Kasamatsu looked at "Kise" with a shock on his face. Previously, he knew that Kise would still go for that dunk, he doubt that the boy would even think of passing. Returning to their half, when Kasamatsu looked at 'Kise' he saw that there was something different about his look. He seemed happy but at the same time, focused. The captain couldn't help but stare at "Kise". _Did losing to Seirin change him this much?_ He shook his head, that practice match was weeks ago.

"Senpai," Kuroko called. "I want you close to me," Kasamatsu looked confused but he only nodded. Kuroko then turned to Nakamura. "Stay at the three-point line when we're into their half, that way, you'll be able to run back on defense."

"Got it."

"As I said before, they might triple team me, if you have the ball, don't pass to me until I'm free, but if I have the ball, get ready to receive it." Kuroko finished.

The other team dribbled the ball into Kuroko's team half, but as they passed the centre line, they went into passes. Shinohara passed to Kobori, who passed to Moriyama. Kasamatsu knew what this means so he motioned to block Moriyama but he was then screened out by Matsumoto. Nakamura then moved towards Moriyama, who, seeing the oncoming threat passed the ball back to Shinohara, who landed a three-pointer. He smirked at Kuroko who was facing Hayakawa.

As the ball bounced from the ground, Kuroko grabbed it. He then passed it to Kasamatsu, while he and Nakamura ran ahead.

"Nakamura, head to the outside," Kasamatsu told him while he pointed in the direction. The boy only responded with a nod. "I'll be beside you Kise,"

Kuroko nodded. "Now, let's get back our three points." When the play resumed, Kuroko looked at where Nakamura was. He was facing Moriyama, while the other four were blocking Kuroko and Kasamatsu's path. Kasamatsu then passed to Kuroko, who, remembering what Kise taught him, he swiftly cut through the defense; the first person he slipped pass was Shinohara on his right and then he spun on his right leg to pass Kobori on his left. He then went for a drive and ended up near the net. Quickly, Shinohara, Matsumoto and Kobori were around him. Kuroko wasn't fazed at all. He shifted his position from facing the net to facing in the direction that Nakamura was. He was by the three point line. Then with a hard dribble, the ball bounced high and when it was at Matsumoto's cheek, Kuroko pushed the ball using his palm towards Nakamura. The ball moved so quickly that even Nakamura himself didn't realize when the ball reached into his hands. Shaking out of his reverie, he shot the ball, earning the second three-point basket for his team.

Matsumoto however, kept feeling if his cheek was still there. He could feel the breeze and the heat from the ball when Kuroko passed it, and the boy swore that he'd just lost half of his face. Kuroko smirked at Shinohara, in which the other boy looked so shocked that he couldn't do anything. As a matter of fact, everyone watching the match was left in awe.

"My face!" Matsumoto screamed holding his face. He quickly rushed off the court towards the coach, "Coach! Is my face still there?!" he said in his frightened stupor. "Please tell me it's still there! Is it Coach?!"

"Get a hold of yourself Matsumoto!" Takeuchi shook the boy. "Your face is fine!" he then took a water bottle and placed it on his cheek. Both Kuroko and Shinohara's teams went to where Matsumoto and the coach were to see if the boy was alright. It seemed that he was having a panic attack.

"Oi, oi," Kasamatsu said, still in shock. "What the hell was that pass Kise?"

"It was a pass that…" Kuroko paused. "Kurokocchi taught me. He said anytime I'm being double teamed, I should pass like that." He said with a smile. Everyone present stopped and stared at Kuroko. It was as though time froze for everyone except Kuroko.

"Kuroko taught you that?" Coach Takeuchi asked him. "That same invisible boy from Seirin?! Why?"

"Because, we're best friends and I usually whine to him about being double-teamed." Kuroko lied smoothly. _Kise was right, lying really is a weapon that needs constant sharpening,_

"What? Then why didn't you persuade him to attend Kaijou?!"

"Umm," Kuroko rubbed the back of his neck. "He's stubborn. Once he's set his mind to something, no one can change it. Not even Akashicchi could."

Takeuchi nodded at that reasoning. He then turned back to Matsumoto. "Are you alright now?"

"Yes, sir." He responded.

"Alright, let the game resume!" the coach blew his whistle.

Kobori had the ball, and then he passed it to Shinohara. Before Shinohara passed it, he looked at his possible options. There were Moriyama and Hayakawa on 'Kise', Kasamatsu had Kobori and Nakamura was the only one unmarked. _Just what are they thinking? What could be their strategy?_ Coming out of his thinking, he saw that everyone on his team looked confused. He then saw a flash of yellow, and the weight of the ball was gone from his hand. He turned around and saw that it was Kasamatsu who had stolen the ball; 'Kise' was close behind him. Nakamura hadn't moved.

"How could he have broken through?" Shinohara asked Kobori. They followed Kasamatsu and Kuroko, when they reached the three point line, Kasamatsu stopped, seeming like he was going to take a shot. Kobori jumped to intercept while Shinohara stopped in front of Kuroko. Kuroko then turned to run in the opposite direction, and in that moment, Kobori looked in Kuroko's direction for a second, Kasamatsu saw this and passed him. He then shot the ball.

"Eh?" Kobori said. He didn't realize that Kasamatsu had passed him. Shinohara then walked up to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get them back!"

"Ye(a)h! I'(ll) get a(ll) the re(bou)nds!" Hayakawa shouted.

"But what happened?" Matsumoto asked. "There's no way Kasamatsu could've passed you like that Kobori."

"I don't know. It's like he disappeared!" Kobori answered.

Hearing the conversation, Kuroko tried to piece together everything. He knew he was behind Kasamatsu but that alone couldn't be the reason for Kasamatsu's disappearance. The whistle blew, which means the game was continuing. _I'll have to think as I go along,_ Kuroko thought as he went into position. Once more, there were two on him –Moriyama and Kobori, and glancing to his right, he saw Nakamura with Hayakawa. Kasamatsu was the only one who could move freely. Shinohara continued to dribble the ball, but ever so often, he looked at Kuroko. Kuroko felt uneasy at his constant staring. Shinohara then passed the ball to Matsumoto; Kasamatsu was then in front of him, trying to block him.

 _He needs help,_ Kuroko thought to himself. He then shifted to the right, both his defenders moved to the right. He moved to the left, it was the same thing. Kuroko realized something. He could escape their defense. He'd have to wait when the hand in the opposite direction was raised a little, then he'd make a dash through the space. He hoped it would work. He then leaned slightly to the right, bent his knees a bit, and in that moment, he shifted his weight on his left leg and dashed towards Kasamatsu.

Matsumoto and Shinohara glanced in Kuroko's direction, in that moment of hesitation; Kasamatsu knocked the ball from Matsumoto, Kuroko running after it. Kasamatsu stayed on Matsumoto, but Nakamura managed to break from Hayakawa and followed Kuroko. Moriyama and Kobori were also following them, but Kuroko slowed his pace, allowing Nakamura to catch up to him. He then released the ball as he knew that Nakamura was behind him to catch it. Nakamura continued to dribble to the net, but Moriyama and Hayakawa were on them. Moriyama stopped in front of Nakamura, Kuroko swiftly avoided Hayakawa, and dashed passed Nakamura and Moriyama.

Moriyama saw the flash of gold for a split second, and then he heard a whistle. Nakamura had shot the ball. Kuroko looked on, with a smile. _I've figured it out._

"What?" Moriyama looked between the net and Nakamura. "When had you shot the ball?"

Nakamura only shrugged. Kuroko then walked up to him and gave him a high-five. They then retreated into their half meeting up with Kasamatsu.

"Nice Nakamura, Kise," the captain praised. Both boys smiled in response.

"We can't let a team of three beat us," Matsumoto said as he dribbled the ball.

"I agree," Moriyama said, "I feel it's time I make my own three pointers too."

The game continued, the pace picked up significantly. Takeuchi watched the match intently; he kept his eyes on 'Kise' as he wanted to know what the boy really had planned. Baskets after baskets were made for both teams, Moriyama hitting three-pointers, Kuroko dunking, Kasamatsu landing three pointers as well. Hayakawa got rebounds, Nakamura kept up a defense. _They're not bad at all, I thought Kise's team would be struggling but it seems to be the other way around,_ Takeuchi thought.

Neither team let up, by now the score was 34-36 in Shinohara's team favour. But Kuroko was not flustered, as a matter of fact, neither of them were. It was just a one basket difference. Kasamatsu passed the ball to Kuroko was close by the net and he quickly ran towards it, and made a dunk. At that, the coach blew the whistle. "End of the first half; I'll give you five minutes,"

Kuroko then walked to Kasamatsu and Nakamura. They sat on the bench, drinking water. They were drenched in sweat, as they had to be making up for two absent players. But Kuroko couldn't stop thinking about the conversation between the other team. He was always at an angle away from Kasamatsu, and always in the opposing player's sight.

"Senpai, Nakamura-kun," Kuroko called, he hadn't realized that throughout the match so far he was behaving too much like himself.

"What is it now, Kise? Another brilliant suicidal idea?" Nakamura joked.

"Just the opposite. Whenever you have the ball, once you see me run in your direction or see me behind you, I want you to pass the defender."

"Huh?" both Kasamatsu and Nakamura asked.

"Just do it." Kuroko said. "Trust me; I'll explain later when the match is finished."

"You better!" Kasamatsu ruffled his hair. "I like how you're using your head and relying on me and Nakamura. It's a good change,"

"Kurokocchi knocked some sense into me," Kuroko laughed nervously.

"That's great," he nodded. "I better thank him when I see him," he then mumbled.

"Another thing, Nakamura-senpai," Kuroko called.

"Hmm?"

"If you don't get the tip off, don't worry, just stay at the centre line and get ready to receive the ball and pass to Kasamatsu-senpai." He then turned to Kasamatsu, "just this once, stay close to Nakamura-senpai. When you get the ball from him, get ahead of me. We're going to be coordinating with each other."

"Huh? Just the two of us?" Kasamatsu asked.

"No, Nakamura-senpai too. Senpai, you should be in front of me, Nakamura-senpai, you should be on the outside across from me. We should be forming a triangle."

"Why?" Nakamura asked.

"You'll see,"

Kasamatsu then got up as he saw the coach hold his whistle. By the time the others were to get up, the whistle was blown. Both teams made their way back onto the court; Nakamura was determined to get the tip-off this time. Takeuchi threw the ball, Kobori and Nakamura jumped for the ball, but once again Kobori got the ball. _If you don't get the tip-off, don't worry._ Nakamura remembered Kuroko's words and stayed at the centre line. When Kobori passed the ball to Shinohara, Kuroko was already upon him, and knocked the ball to Nakamura. Shinohara, as everyone else, was shocked. They hadn't seen when Kuroko had moved. It wasn't that he was invisible, he just moved when he knew that they would be focused on the ball instead of his team. He's seen it in many basketball matches, that moment when the centre gets the tip-off to pass to the point guard; in that instant, the point guard is more focused in getting the players in order. Takeuchi's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. _What's happening? First Kasamatsu is breaking pass defense, Nakamura's shots aren't being stopped, now this…why do I feel so uneasy?_

Nakamura was shocked. He didn't realize that the ball reached him already. It was just tip-off! He then passed it to Kasamatsu who dribbled pass Kuroko. Kuroko then shifted from Shinohara to end up at the outside. They had completed their formation. With this, there was only one defender on both Kuroko and Nakamura, while Kasamatsu was blocked by the other three. He bounce pass the ball to Kuroko who redirected it Nakamura. Once more, Nakamura was taken off-guard by the ball suddenly appearing. He then dribbled some more, and then passed it back to Kuroko who redirected to Kasamatsu who was at the three point line. He then pretended to make the shot. Shinohara went to block Kasamatsu but Kuroko dashed towards them. Ending up in Shinohara's peripheral vision, Kasamatsu passed him, and then took the shot.

"Yosh!" Kasamatsu said. "Let's keep it up!"

The other team didn't back down though. As soon as they got the ball, they did a fast break; it was Moriyama who caught it. Nakamura was following him to stop him, but he was already at the net, shooting. Nakamura 'tsk'ed, but Kasamatsu placed a hand on his shoulder, and nodded. Kuroko then made his way to them, and took the ball. He then threw it at Nakamura who looked at it questioningly.

"Let's get back in position but this time, Kasamatsu-senpai switch with Nakamura-kun." Kuroko said. The two only nodded. Kuroko was once more on the outside, Kasamatsu on the other side of the court in the same position, while Nakamura was inside. He continued to dribble but there was no way he'd be able to pass the defenders. He turned in Kuroko's direction and passed the ball to him. He passed Moriyama to catch it and sent it flying to Kasamatsu. But, Kuroko nodded to Kasamatsu who then passed it back to Kuroko.

"Nakamura-kun!" Kuroko called. This caught the attention of everyone. Kuroko then held the ball as though he would have done an aerial pass to Nakamura. Nakamura then jumped, thinking that Kuroko would have passed the ball. The other defenders jumped to stop the ball, but Kuroko sent it to Kasamatsu. Kuroko then dashed passed the defenders and Nakamura, Kasamatsu then shot the ball seeming to be a three-pointer. However, Kuroko grabbed it and dunked the ball, hard. Everyone was left in awe. _An alley-oop?!_ Moriyama looked on in shock. The other team looked at Kuroko in shock. Nakamura then walked to Kuroko, "If you're going to fake, at least prompt me,"

"But we need it to look believable," Kuroko deadpanned.

"Don't say it like that!"

"But Nakamura-senpai, whenever I call your name, jump as though you'd be catching the ball. The other team may think it's our strategy but we can flip it around."

"I never pegged you as a strategist Kise,"

"Heh, I'm not." Kuroko said as he headed into Kasamatsu's direction. Nakamura followed.

For the rest of the third quarter, it was mostly a run-gun game for the other team; however, the gap between Kuroko's team and theirs kept growing. Since there were only three of them, they didn't want to go too deep into the other team's half. There were always two persons (mostly Kasamatsu and Nakamura) who stopped at the three point line; Kuroko was the only one who went further. With those two being there, they would have the time to retreat to protect their net. But none of the teams were giving up, it was basket after basket. Kuroko's team didn't really defend but it was all a part of Kuroko's plan. Only the coach found it strange that Kuroko's team wasn't trying to defend that much. They do try to steal the ball, but that's not enough.

He then blew the whistle signaling the end of the third quarter.

The teams returned to their benches, re-hydrating themselves. Kuroko couldn't help but smirk. He was having fun, but what was more, he found another form of misdirection. He thought of teaching it to Kagami, since it has to be used with someone who has presence on the court. He then turned to his teammates.

"Senpai, Nakamura-senpai, in this quarter we'll defend. We'll steal the ball as much as we can, block their shots." He paused, "Senpai, we need your threes,"

"You can count on me," Kasamatsu replied.

"That means Nakamura-senpai, we'll work together on defense although, I'll be on offense sometimes."

"Sure,"

They drank some more of their water and headed onto the court. The coach blew his whistle, the game started. Nakamura stayed at the centre line, while Kasamatsu and Kuroko were in front of him. The other team wasn't marking anyone yet, instead they blocked Kasamatsu and Kuroko. Not that they minded. Matsumoto was the one who was dribbling the ball, and then Kasamatsu ran off. When Matsumoto saw this, he thought that Kasamatsu was coming for the ball, so he quickly passed it to Shinohara. In that instant, Kuroko smirked and stole the ball and quickly sent it to Kasamatsu who was further down the court. With the court being empty, Kasamatsu shot an easy three-pointer.

Kuroko returned to Nakamura when he passed the ball to Kasamatsu. When he was in position, he mouthed to Kasamatsu to stay. Kasamatsu was confused by this, but so far their plans worked. The other team was already heading back with the ball, Hayakawa stayed at the net with Kasamatsu. Shinohara dribbled the ball but when he reached Nakamura he then passed to Kobori. Moriyama was already past Kuroko. When Kobori passed to Moriyama, Kuroko knew that he was going for a shot. Timing it just right, Kuroko jumped to block Moriyama, snatching the ball in the process. He then passed it to Nakamura who continued to dribble it. Kuroko then dashed passed him and Shinohara, and in that moment, Nakamura passed the ball to Kuroko. He then spun and sent it flying to Kasamatsu who was at the opposing team's net with Hayakawa. The ball landed in Kasamatsu's hand, and he made the shot.

Kasamatsu wondered how he caught that ball. Even Hayakawa stood there frozen, as he only felt the breeze of the ball against his face. Kasamatsu looked at Hayakawa. His kouhai was trembling.

"Oi, Hayakawa!" Kasamatsu shook him, "keep it together!"

He snapped back to reality and nodded to Kasamatsu. Meanwhile, Kuroko looked at them then at his hands. _But that was just a regular fast pass,_ he thought. Everyone looked at 'Kise' with shock. The coach noticed that he wasn't scoring all the goals, but he was mostly assisting. But, he still couldn't figure out why Nakamura and Kasamatsu could get around defenders. No matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind. He continued his focus on the match. He looked at the clock and saw four minutes remaining. In four minutes, there's no way the other team could make a comeback.

"Nakamura-kun, come with me and stay in a position to make a shot be it a three-pointer or a dunk," Kuroko said. Nakamura only nodded. Kuroko dribbled the ball down the court, only to be blocked by Moriyama and Kobori. He smirked and leaned forward to Moriyama.

"Don't move," he told him. And of course, Moriyama didn't understand why 'Kise' said that to him. A loud dribble could be heard and the ball bounced higher than usual. Seeing this, they remembered what happened with Matsumoto.

"Shinohara! It's coming!" Moriyama turned his head in Shinohara's direction. However, Kuroko used this moment to break free but Kobori was right behind him. _You're not getting away!_ Kobori thought. Kuroko then thought of something, something really risky. He bounced the ball to the right, and then turned around and ran behind Kobori. He sent the ball to Kasamatsu before someone from the other team got it. What happened next was a blur. Everyone saw the ball fly from Kuroko to Kasamatsu and then it went into the net.

"What?" was the collective outburst. When everything was done, they saw Nakamura jumping down from the hoop. The other team didn't know what to say.

"What? When did he get he get there?" Matsumoto asked. "What's happening?"

Kuroko smirked. He then looked to Kasamatsu, and smiled. Nakamura couldn't help but smile at his other two teammates. At first, he thought that being on a team with two other guys and facing off against a team with five guys would have been difficult but, they're actually winning. He glanced at the score and saw the score: 74-64 in his team's favour. _It's all thanks to Kise's thinking_.

"Let's get back!" Kasamatsu barked. He moved off, but then Kuroko held a hand on his shoulder.

"No Senpai, we need you here. Nakamura-kun and I will defend and bring the ball to you."

"Alright,"

Kuroko and Nakamura ran along with the other team, trying to block the other team. But it was two against four. It wasn't easy. When Matsumoto got the ball, Nakamura went to block him. Kuroko then entered Matsumoto's vision, and in that moment, Nakamura knocked the ball from his hands. Kuroko dashed to the ball and sent it flying to Kasamatsu. He caught it, but Hayakawa wasn't making it easy for him to shoot. Seeing this, Kuroko and Nakamura headed towards him, with the other team following. Kasamatsu passed the ball to Nakamura who then passed it to Kuroko. Kuroko tapped the ball and sent it to Kasamatsu who passed it right back to Kuroko. Having the ball with Shinohara on him, he then remembered what Kise taught him about dribbling.

He breathe in and out and then began switching the hand in which the ball was. Kuroko continued this, and tried to remember the combo that Kise told him. _Make the crossover, get around the defender,_ Kuroko broke free of Shinohara's defense… _drive to the basket;_ Kuroko went for the basket and landed a dunk.

The whistle sounded. The game was over. The score was 76-64, but the entire gym was silent. Never before have they witnessed something like this. Both teams were slowly heading back to the benches but for Kasamatsu, he couldn't wait that long.

"Oi Kise," the silence was broken by Kasamatsu. "The match is over, it's explanation time."

"Ah yes," Kuroko walked to the bench to get his water. Nakamura and Kasamatsu along with the other team followed. They would like to know what the hell happened on the court.

"First, with Kasamatsu and Nakamura slipping pass the defense is something that Kurokocchi had also taught me."

"Eh?" Moriyama said, surprised. "But I didn't see Seirin do anything like that ―"

"It's misdirection."

There was silence. They remembered when Kise had explained during the practice match. But they didn't know that it could be taught.

"How?!" Kasamatsu and Moriyama shouted in unison.

"The thing is, I asked Kurokocchi to teach me how to disappear, but he told me that with my presence it's impossible. He said apart from the ball, I have the most presence on a court. Thus, he taught me a different form of misdirection, one that's opposite to his."

"Opposite to his?" Takeuchi asked. He still hadn't got the whole concept misdirection down yet.

"Yes," Kuroko continued. "With Kurokocchi, he draws attention away from himself, creating the illusion that he disappeared. But with this one, I draw attention to myself, creating the illusion that my teammates are the ones that are disappearing."

"Th-That's…" Kasamatsu couldn't finish his sentence due to shock. As a matter of fact, the entire gym was speechless.

"But how is that done Kise?" Matsumoto asked. "I can only remember them being in front of me one moment and the next, they're gone and I'm looking at you."

"There it is." Kuroko answered. "With me ending up in your line of sight, I draw your eyes to me, and in that moment, whomever you're blocking moves away from you so by the time you realize that they aren't in front of you, you think they disappear."

"Amazing," Kobori breathed out.

"But, the catch is, just like Kurokocchi, I can't use it for an entire game. Also, I can't use it against Seirin."

"Why not?" Takeuchi asked, he was still smoldering from the practice match.

"Because Kurokocchi is a master of misdirection, if I were to use it against him, he'd know how to counter it. And plus, I won't be scoring that much goals, since I have to make my teammates disappear."

"I see," Kasamatsu said, realizing how good it was. "That means Kise; you'd have to use it when we're in a pinch, probably when we're facing one of your former teammates."

"Ye-yeah," Kuroko stuttered. _I just hope I won't have to face any of them while in Kise's body._

"I want to know what was the point of using a triangular formation?" Nakamura spoke up.

"Because, it's unorthodox. No matter how good a team is; if they're faced with something that they've never seen before, they won't know how to react to it. Also, it gave us a better range of passing. The person on the inside can choose between the two on the outside, the opposing team won't know who would receive the ball, plus, we can always redirect the ball in any direction."

"Ah, I remember that." Shinohara said. "Kasamatsu passed the ball to Kise and within a blink, Nakamura was shooting. That's a pretty dangerous formation."

"Right about that," Kasamatsu grinned. "What's even better about it is that due to the form, it forces only one defender on the two who are outside, and the one on the inside can move freely."

"Well shit," Matsumoto said, "how'd you think of something like that?"

"Heh, I'm spending too much time with Kurokocchi."

"So what was the point of the match?" Shinohara asked. "I still don't get it."

"Oh, that? It was to build a partnership." Kuroko answered in his usual deadpanned manner. "In a match, I'd always be targeted, so I decided that why not have a partner that could coordinate with me. If I'm double-teamed, they'd know how to receive the ball and how to pass it. They'd also know where to go, whether to stay close to me, or in shooting range or something."

"You've thought about all this?" Kobori asked.

"Yes, Kurokocchi always refers to himself as a shadow who works with the light. Right now, his light is Kagamicchi, so I thought that what if I can get someone to become my light as well?"

Nakamura said, "then who'd you choose?"

"I chose Kasamatsu-senpai." He said in a matter-of-factly, "Are you alright with that Senpai?"

"You idiot!" Kasamatsu said as he jabbed him in his side, "You've got it wrong; I won't be your light, but your shadow." He said as he ruffled Kuroko's hair.

"Thanks Senpai," Kuroko couldn't help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	4. Kise's first day at Seirin

Chapter 4

...

At Seirin, Kise actually felt at peace. Even though he lacked presence; at least he didn't have an army of girls fawning over him. He liked the attention but sometimes it can be a bit too much. But what he hated about being in Kuroko's body was that it was as though he was invisible. He knew he had to expect this, but to actually _feel_ it was something else. _How do you live like this Kurokocchi?_ He groaned aloud and made it to Kuroko's class. Opening the door, he realized that no one noticed that he even opened the door. He casually made his way to his seat and sat. He looked through the window and sighed miserably.

"Why do I get the feeling that today is going to be a long day?" he asked himself. Then he felt Kuroko's phone vibrate in his pocket. When he opened the message, he saw that it was from Kuroko.

_Subject: School_

_Kise-kun, I feel like I'm dying. The fangirls are going to drive me insane! Could I act like my normal self to get them to leave me alone? And another thing, your presence is too much…everywhere I go I'm noticed. Kise-kun, please give me my body back._

"Pfft! Girls are driving you insane?!" Kise erupted with laughter as he read the message. He didn't know that Kuroko would actually message him about this. He couldn't stop laughing. He then replied to Kuroko, having a bit of a challenge texting due to the fact that he was still laughing.

_Re: School_

_Pfft! You aren't insane yet Kurokocchi! That's the least of it! I can't return your body because I'm not the one who took it…it just happened! By the way, how do you stand being unnoticed? That's what's driving me insane! YOU should give me my body back!_

He hit the send button and finally his laughter simmered down into a chuckle. "It seems that we both have something that's going to drive us insane at school."

"Yo," he felt a heavy hand ruffling his hair. He looked up and saw Kagami smiling down at him. "You missed training on Saturday, how come?"

"Please don't scare me like that Kagami-kun. I'll get angry." Kise replied, mocking Kuroko. Inwardly, he cursed that Kuroko hadn't told him that he had weekend training. "I missed training because I didn't feel well."

"Tsch," Kagami said as he sat in his seat, "Coach is going to kill you with extra training."

"I don't mind, I need it." Kise answered. He knew that he'd have to increase Kuroko's speed and stamina by a lot. Kagami looked at Kise in shock. Since he didn't know that the two boys had switched bodies, he found it odd that his shadow who can't handle a normal training session didn't mind that he was going to die today.

"Are you feeling alright, Kuroko?"

"Yes, Kagami-kun. Why do you ask?" Kise's legs were shaking underneath the table, as he could sense a slip-up coming. Kuroko's speech is so formal, even when talking to friends. Kise knew that he couldn't do this for too long, so he made a plan to slowly show his personality to make people believe that Kuroko had another side to him throughout this week. Being so stoic and blunt wasn't going to last as long as they weren't in their rightful bodies.

"It's just that a while ago, the way you spoke seemed a bit rehearsed." Kagami said. He could tell that there was something different about his shadow but he couldn't tell what it really was. Irritated at Kagami staring at him, Kise then spoke.

"Kagami-kun, your staring is making me uneasy." Kise said.

"Sorry, Kuroko." He then turned around in his seat, Kise sighed in relief. The bell then sounded signaling the beginning of school.

_xxxx_

The sounds of sneakers squeaking could be heard echoing from inside the gym, which meant that the basketball team was training. They were all sweating but for Kise, he felt like he was dipped in a pool. The coach made him run laps outside, plus he added extra laps. When he returned inside the gym, he had to do five sets of sprints but he ended up doing ten because he thought it would help increase his speed. All in all, Kise was tired. Exhausted, actually.

"Kuroko-kun," Riko said. She was both shocked and happy at the same time, being that she was seeing 'Kuroko' doing extra training of his own.

"Yes Coach?" Kise replied panting for air.

"Try not to miss training again alright?" she smirked.

"I won't Coach," Kise could see the menacing aura emanating from her body. "Trust me," he then mumbled but she heard. Her brows furrowed at that, not knowing why the blue-haired boy said what he did.

She then turned to the rest of the team and blew her whistle. "Mini-game!" hearing this, Kise nearly died. Even though Kuroko told him that he could fool anyone, he felt that he wasn't ready for a match yet. _Argh, what if I pass the ball too fast? Or to the wrong person, or…_ He was taken out of his thoughts by Kagami.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kuroko?" Kagami asked, looking with worrisome eyes at the boy.

"Yes, I was just over-thinking some things, that's all."

"You know, you told me that you're my shadow," Kagami started. "If anything is bothering you, you can always talk to me."

Kise looked at Kagami with shock. The first time he met Kagami he got the impression that he was a brute and had nothing but basketball for a brain. Hearing him say something so touching left Kise speechless.

"What?" Kagami asked, as Kise was staring at him.

"Thank you," he said with a smile. Not a small smile like Kuroko's but one of his genuine smiles. This took Kagami off-guard.

"KU-KUROKO!" He shouted from the shock, his face becoming red in the process. Everyone in the gym turned to look at them but could only see Kagami's shocked face. "Don't move," he said as he went to his bag and pulled out his phone. When he returned to Kise, he held up the phone to his face. "I have to take this picture Kuroko, could you smile again?"

Kise didn't even answer. He couldn't help himself, he smiled once more, but this time it almost turned into a grin. When the camera went off, the look on Kagami's face had the entire Seirin team in shock.

"Hey! Where do you think this is Bakagami!?" Riko hit him with a paper fan across his head. "If you want to take a picture don't do it here! Your training is tripled tomorrow, both of you!"

"But Coach, Kuroko had an expression! I couldn't ―" Kagami tried to reason.

"Quadruple training!" at that, Kagami flinched but he hadn't said a word. Kise looked at Kagami and noticed that the boy was trembling. "I'll die for sure,"

"I'll do quadruple training as well." Kise said with a deadpan expression. The entire gym fell into silence at that. Kagami slowly looked at Kise with a puzzled expression.

"Kuroko you'll die!" Kagami said grabbing the boy by his shoulders. "You'll die,"

"But you are my light Kagami-kun; if you're going to die then I'll die with you." Kise replied. He only hoped that what he just said was Kuroko-like. Kagami blushed such a deep red that it put his own hair to shame. He turned away from Kise muttering something that no one could hear. Kise tried his best not to laugh. He tried with all his willpower to keep Kuroko's deadpan expression, he felt as though he was going to burst.

"Why does this sound like a line out of a Shakespeare play?" Hyuuga asked looking at the two.

"Ah! I got one!" Izuki said.

"Don't even think about it, Izuki!" Hyuuga barked.

"Enough! First years versus second years." Riko said, getting back their attention.

Kise cringed. He remembered just how well Kagami and Kuroko had coordinated at the practice match and he couldn't stop his body from shaking. _Calm down Ryouta,_ he thought to himself. Walking into position, he was lost. He didn't know if Kuroko had a preference as to where to stand on the court. _Maybe it doesn't matter._

"Kuroko," Kagami began. Kise had a feeling what he was going to ask so he quickly answered:

"I'm fine Kagami-kun."

They then got into position; Mitobe and Kagami were facing off for the tip off. Naturally, Kagami got to the ball first due to his height. He then dribbled down the court, noticing that Hyuuga and Izuki were coming; Kagami passed the ball to Kawahara who was closest. Kise just watched as everything, being that everyone got so caught up already that they forgot that he was there. He then shifted into Kawahara's view in which the latter passed the ball to him. Kise then pivoted on his left foot, using his right hand to pass the ball into Kagami's hands. He dunked the ball, earning the first basket for the game.

"Yosha!" Kagami cheered. Looking on, Kise wished that he could've dunked that ball. He then shook his head as he realized that his dunking days may never return. As a matter of fact, his days as _Kaijou's ace_ may never return. In his deep thinking, he hadn't realized that the ball was sent his way and it collided with his right cheek. He staggered a bit, but then he held his cheek and then he reverted to being Kise Ryouta and not Kuroko Tetsuya.

"Sorry Kuroko, I thought you had ―" Kagami started but was cut off by Kise.

"Ow! That hurt Kagamicchi!" he practically whined. His facial expression was just like how he would have looked if he was in his body and the entire Seirin team was in shock.

"Kuroko…" Hyuuga began, "…is that an expression on your face?" he asked in disbelief. No one paid any attention to the fact that 'Kuroko' had just addressed Kagami as Kagamicchi.

"Mou~" he pouted at the clutch shooter as he rubbed his cheek. But then he stopped when he realized what just transpired. The entire team was staring at him and Kise didn't know what to do. "Kagami-kun," he started. He said it in the same way that he knew Kuroko would've. "That actually hurt me." The entire gym was silent, as no one was paying attention to what Kise said. Instead, they were looking at his face. Never before had they seen Kuroko pout, whine or have any other expression other than a little smile.

"See Captain, that's why I had to take the picture!" Kagami said, breaking the silence. Kise sighed a relief; _this ought to take their minds off what I said earlier._

"That still doesn't give you the right to do it during practice!" Riko barked at him.

"I hope Kurokocchi's doing better than me," Kise mumbled to himself.

_xxxx_

The basketball team sat on the court, enjoying their short break. Kise was dying, due to the fact that he decided to do more training than what the coach intended. He was determined to get Kuroko's stamina and speed up as he compared his own body with Kuroko's…he saw that Kuroko's body was seriously lacking. The next thing he decided to do was to change Kuroko's diet. The boy hardly ate anything, and Kise wanted to change that. For a basketball player, Kuroko ate far too little and thus his body doesn't have enough nutrients. _Don't worry Kurokocchi; I'll take good care of your body…_ Kise grinned to himself. He then walked to his bag when he heard Kuroko's phone ringing. He saw that it was a message.

_From: Kurokocchi_

_Subject: Basketball Practice_

_Kise-kun, I may have done something that you wouldn't do, but it's all for the best. I gave Kaijou a new formation to work with, Kasamatsu-san is now my shadow and I've found out another type of misdirection. When you get home we'll talk more about it._

"Ehh?!" Kise stared at the phone, re-reading the message. "Why-why-why would you do something like that?!"

"Kuroko," Furihata called, "what's wrong?"

"Ano," Kise didn't how to reply. "Coach, can I leave? There's something important, and I have to go home." He said, "I promise I'll do the quadruple training tomorrow!"

"Alright, go on," Riko shooed him out. The members left were still staring at the door. She then turned to the team and asked, "Is it just me, or did Kuroko seem off today?"

"Kuroko was off," Hyuuga admitted. "His play was the usual but there was something different about him,"

"I noticed that from this morning," Kagami said. "I just hope nothing's wrong,"

"Me too," Koganei piped in.

"Anyway, back to practice!" Riko barked.

"Yes ma'am!" the boys chorused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

...

Kise was practically running to the train station. He kept the phone out to view the message. No matter how many times he's read it, it just couldn't be believable. _Why would Kurokocchi assist Kaijou? Giving them a new formation? Making Senpai his shadow? What's going on?_ When he boarded the train, the usually short ride to Kanagawa seemed endless. He was jittery in his seat, eager to get home. He had thought about stopping at Kaijou instead since he left practice early but then he remembered that Kuroko can't cook to save his life. Which meant that he'd go home and start dinner.

Kise groaned. "I can't believe that on top of teaching him basketball moves, I have to teach him how to cook too." He sunk further in his seat, "Kurokocchi, you better pay me back when we get back our bodies." He pouted.

After couple more minutes, the train arrived at Kanagawa. Kise quickly exited and made his way home. He jogged, thinking that he would make up for the training that he lost today. Even though he was tired, he jogged until he could see his house. Continuing, he wondered what he should cook for dinner. Before he knew it, he was at his door, and made his way inside.

When he entered, the first thing Kise did was to drop himself in the couch. His muscles were already aching from Riko's training, plus he jogged from the train station home. Right now, his body was screaming. After a couple minutes, he slowly got up off the couch and headed to the bathroom. _Only a bath could ease my pain right now._

_xxxx_

"Kise!" Kuroko turned around upon hearing someone calling. He was almost through the gate; he noticed that it was his new captain.

"Senpai, do you need something?" he asked. It was after that he realized that he sounded too much like himself.

"Not really," Kasamatsu answered, "it's just that we always walk home together."

"Oh sorry, my mind wasn't here." Kuroko smiled; _does Kasamatsu-san live near Kise-kun?_ Kuroko thought. The two left Kaijou and walked slowly in silence. Kuroko didn't know how to start a regular conversation with someone he just met, but what worried him was that maybe Kasamatsu would ask him things only Kise would know. They walked until they reached a stoplight.

"Kise," Kasamatsu began,

"Yes Senpai?" Kuroko was bracing for the worst.

"I really don't know what to say. Today, you were amazing," he paused. "Normally, you'd be practicing by yourself or not showing up at all and not caring what the rest of us are doing,"

"I ― I…see," Kuroko looked at the ground. He knew that Kise ― the whole generation of miracles was like this, but somehow hearing it from someone else, was disheartening. "Sorry about that,"

"But today, you came up with a strategy, and a new formation that we can use in official matches." Kasamatsu then chuckled, "You should use your head like this more often,"

"I guess I will,"

"You guess?!" Kasamatsu jabbed him in his side.

"Senpai!" Kuroko wailed out.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask," there was a sudden shift in Kasamatsu's tone, "what does a shadow do? I can understand the concept in Kuroko's case, but what the hell would I do? I'm no passing specialist like him."

"But you're a point guard, that's all I need."

"To do what?"

"We'll be coordinating with each other of course." Kuroko said in his usual deadpan manner. "But then again, sometimes, you'd be required to make fast passes or…" A thought ended up in Kuroko's mind. _Should I teach him my basic passes?_ In his deep thinking, Kuroko had stopped walking. He realized what he did during training by giving them a new formation and giving 'Kise' a means of passing the ball whenever he's being blocked was probably something that he shouldn't have done, but neither of them knew how long it would take to get back their original bodies.

"Kise. Oi, Kise!" Kasamatsu tapped him on his cheek, "are you alright? You were spacing out there,"

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"Hmm," he didn't pry. Kuroko looked at Kasamatsu, and wondered to himself, _how does Kise-kun feel about me helping Kaijou to this extent?_

"Senpai, can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"What if temporarily you were a part of Seirin's team for an unspecified time and Hyuuga-san was a part of Kaijou, would you help your new team in getting stronger until you return to your former team?"

"Well, yeah," Kasamatsu put a hand on his chin, "the time is unspecified, which means neither of us know how long we'll be on each other's team for, so for that temporary time, the team we're on would be the team we will be fighting for."

"I see,"

"Why'd you ask that question Kise?"

"It just came to me," Kuroko said.

"I must say that you're quite lucky." Kasamatsu started.

"Huh?"

"You said Kuroko's your best friend, and even though you two are on separate teams, he still helps you out. That's why I said that you're lucky."

"I know."

"Indeed." Kasamatsu said, "But I've never seen a player like him before. To specialize in only passes, not being able to be a shooting guard, point guard or even a forward, that's a great sacrifice."

"Yeah, but you know, he doesn't mind at all. It's all he can do for his team, he's not fit to be a forward, and he can't shoot to save his life…" Kuroko paused. "Well, with his passing sense, you can say he could be a point guard somewhat."

"Hah, you could call him that, in terms of creating plays," Kasamatsu chuckled. "But the thing is, I don't think he's _careful_ enough to be a point guard. What I see is that he passes to his teammate that's available."

"Yeah, that's true."

They continued the rest of their journey talking about basketball, and strangely, the conversation went into different topics. Kuroko was actually having fun, but before, he was fretting about Kasamatsu bringing up something that he wouldn't know about. The time and journey went by in a flash; Kasamatsu left Kuroko to turn up his avenue. But this stunned Kuroko, a few blocks and he would have reached Kise's house.

_xxxx_

"I'm home." Kuroko called as he took off his shoes at the front. He received no answer, instead he heard sizzling sounds. A combination of smells seduced his nose, he soon find himself heading the direction. Entering the kitchen, what he saw left him speechless. There Kise was, standing in front of the stove; flipping something (Kuroko couldn't see due to Kise being in the way).

"Kise-kun?"

"Ah, Kurokocchi!" Kise turned and smiled at him.

"I didn't know that you could cook. It smells delicious."

"Of course! My mother's job has her all over the place and it's not all the time any of my sisters stay over." Kise perked. "You know, I'll only be here for two weeks," Kise's tone lost all his cheerfulness, his face was too serious.

"Yeah, I know that," Kuroko sighed.

"You'll have to learn how to cook on top of learning my basketball moves." Kise saw Kuroko's face blanched. "Don't worry; I'll be the one teaching you."

"Thanks Kise-kun,"

"And another thing," Kise's tone gave Kuroko chills. "That message…just what do you think you're doing? Kaijou isn't your team, what are doing making them stronger? I don't understand you."

"About that," Kuroko walked up to Kise and looked him the eyes. "I asked Kasamatsu-san if temporarily he was a part of Seirin's team for an unspecified amount of time and Hyuuga-senpai was a part of Kaijou would he help Seirin to get stronger."

"And what did he say?"

"He said he would have." Kise was taken aback by that answer. "He said since the time was unspecified then the team he's on would be the team that he would be fighting for. And because I don't want to lose during Inter-High, I'm trying my best to make my new team get stronger to take on the Miracles."

"Kurokocchi…" Kise was at a loss as to what to say. Hearing that reasoning, he knew that Kuroko was right. "I guess you do have a point."

"So, how do you like Seirin?" Kuroko asked changing the subject.

"They're alright. At least I haven't gotten any kicks from _your_ captain." Kise answered, chopping vegetables in the process. Then he paused with a look of horror on his face. "But I must say, your Coach is a devil. Could you believe that I have quadrupled training tomorrow?" Kise looked as though he would burst into tears any second.

"Kise-kun!" Kuroko cried out. "You'll die!"

"Heh, Kagamicchi said the same thing to me,"

"What did you do to deserve that?"

"It was Kagamicchi. I accidentally smiled at him and he wanted to take a picture."

There was a pause. Kuroko didn't know what to say. " _What?_ " he exploded.

"Yeah,"

"Kagami-kun caused you to get quadrupled training? I'm going to kill him before." He seethed. Kise laughed at this. Seeing Kuroko's ― er ― his own face with that expression was classic.

"Kurokocchi, you know, you can have some hilarious expressions."

"It's your face, and plus, your facial muscles have a mind of their own!"

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, I don't want to grin but your face just…does it."

"What?" Kise erupted with laughter, "there's no way that that's possible!"

"Well," Kuroko huffed, almost seeming like a pout. Kise grinned at the sight; he was beginning to have a change of heart on this whole body switch thing.

"Kurokocchi, it's difficult to be you, especially with your team. So could I at least smile more around them?" Kise asked putting the vegetables in the pot. Kuroko looked at him as though he said something stupid.

"Of course you can, I don't have a problem,"

"Really?!" Kise was beaming, looking as though he was ready to pounce on the now taller male.

"Yeah, I had already realized that you keeping a straight face in every situation wasn't going to happen. But, do _not_ suffocate anyone with your hugs, do _not_ grin like an idiot, and ―"

"Hai, hai," Kise said, placing both his hands in front of him. "Don't behave like myself but I can smile when the situation calls for it."

"Good, I'm going to take a shower." Kuroko walked out of the kitchen, going up the stairs.

Entering the bath, Kuroko had never felt so relieved. Practice at Kaijou went smoothly, surprisingly, no one thought that "Kise" was out of character, but what he realized was that Kaijou's practice was brutal. He then began to wonder if he had attended Kaijou what would've happened to him. He shuddered at the thought. He then looked at the various hair products. He groaned a loud, remembering the hell he went through this morning. Who knew that for Kise to keep his hair so smooth and from frizzing out in the wind was due to so many hair products. With a sigh, he got to work, and mentally cursed Kise for being a model.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	6. Learning the Passes - Izuki

Chapter 6

...

The sun was barely up, but Kise was wide awake. He got up out of his bed and put on a simple shorts and t-shirt. He then went to _his_ room where Kuroko was sleeping, and a savage grin appeared on his face.

"Kurokocchi!" he jumped on the bed, onto the other boy. "Wakey wakey!"

"Hn?" Kuroko groaned out. "Kise-kun, isn't the time too early for this?"

"No…" Kise started, "it's time for our morning jog."

"What?!" Kuroko's eyes widened. "There's no way I can jog after that torture yesterday, my muscles are still numb."

"But Kurokocchi, it's what I do to keep my body in shape. As Kaijou's _ace,_ you have to be in tip-top form at all times. You aren't allowed to be sick."

"I'm not _allowed_?" by now, Kise was already off Kuroko and was standing beside the bed. It was then that Kise realized something. _His_ beautiful golden hair was a mess! A scream escaped his lips as he couldn't believe the sight before him.

"Kurokocchi! You're a disaster!" he cupped both his cheeks and shrieked in absolute horror.

"What are you talking about?" Kuroko said as he moved to the mirror. He then took up a brush, and started to brush his hair. "This is just bed hair. Don't you have it Kise-kun?"

"No, I do not!" Kise said, "And don't brush my hair like that! It needs to be moisturized!" Kise screeched. Kuroko had to cover his ears, as Kise was loud. He couldn't believe that _his_ voice could be that loud.

"Kise-kun, please calm down," Kuroko said. "Where's the moisturizer?"

"You're right," Kise sighed, "get dressed, we have to jog."

Kuroko sighed, but he knew that Kise could be quite annoying so he complied. He put on a white t-shirt and a black sweat pants. The two then exited the house, they immediately began jogging. Kise had already mapped out a route, the only route that he took when he was jogging, and that was from home to the train station via Kasamatsu's neighbourhood. But something still bothered him, jogging alone won't help Kuroko's body. As they passed the street ball court, he noticed that there were some guys training. He noticed that around their waists were a strap and attached to that strap were weights. A thought entered Kise's mind. _That may not be a bad idea,_ he grinned.

Kuroko saw Kise grinning and a wave of fear came over him. Something told him that having Kise in his body is like a double-edged sword. It would both be good and bad. He just couldn't shake the feeling. Kuroko wanted to ask Kise but he withheld. Taking his mind off Kise, he began to realize that his body was comfortable with the jogging. Even though this morning in bed his limbs ached, once he got into the groove, it was like the aches disappeared. They then came to a stoplight where they had to stop. He then looked to Kise. The boy was behind him, seeming as though he was about to fall on his face.

"Ku…Kuroko…cchi…" Kise panted out, "I can't…no more…"

"Alright, let's head back," he said, "I'll carry you," Kuroko then stooped down, and stretched his arms behind him, indicating that Kise should climb onto his back. Kise obliged without fuss, actually, he was beaming with joy. He snaked around Kuroko's neck, placing his chin on Kuroko's shoulder.

"Thank you Kurokocchi!" he squealed in delight. "I've imagined me carrying you so many times before but I'd never thought it would've been like this!"

"Kise-kun, if you don't stop, I'll drop you."

"So mean!" Kise pouted. "But it's your body, and I really would hate to see your body damaged in any way."

Kuroko sighed. Living together with Kise is going to be the longest two weeks of his life.

_xxxx_

When they reached home, without a word to Kuroko, Kise dashed off going to his room. Kuroko shrugged his shoulders and headed to the kitchen. While Kise was in his room, he went under his bed and struggled to pull out a box. He quickly opened it and a grin appeared on his face. _With this, Kurokocchi's body will be able to withstand that demon coach's training!_ He then took out weights. They were wearable arm weights, wrist weights and ankle weights. There was a significant amount in the box, and he wondered just when did he have so much? But anyway, he left them and went into the shower.

Kuroko was downstairs, wondering what Kise was up to. But then looking at the clock, he noticed that it would soon be time for school. Just as he was about to upstairs to the bathroom, the front door opened. A beautiful woman with long blond hair and sparkling brown eyes entered with luggage behind her. She was struggling to take off her shoes when Kuroko heard another voice behind her shout:

"Don't just block the way Ruiko!"It was a female's voice, and the first female who Kuroko saw started to shift to the left. She had finally taken off her shoes, but then the second woman entered. She too had blond hair but she caught her hair in a bun leaving two side bangs to frame her face with a bang covering her forehead. Her eyes were also brown and Kuroko had a feeling who they were. Kuroko turned to escape before they saw but it was too late.

"Ryou-chan!" the two women sprang at him and crushed in a bear hug. When they released him, the first one he saw ― Ruiko ― he deduced, looked at him in horror.

"Ryou-chan, you're a disaster! Look at your hair! Have you been moisturizing it properly?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have," Kuroko answered, "it's just bed hair."

The two women looked at each other and then spoke in unison, "SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE BED HAIR!?" Kuroko had to cover his ears; they were as loud as Kise, or even louder.

"Ano," he didn't know what to say. He wished Kise was here to start up a conversation with them but sadly, he'd gone upstairs and hadn't come down as yet. _Please Kise-kun, save me._ Kuroko pleaded. As if on cue, Kise came down the stairs dressed only in his uniform pants but no shirt. He had a towel wrapped over his hair.

"What's with the ruckus?" as soon as he finished that sentence, he spotted the two golden figures. _Shit,_ he thought. "Good morning," he bowed respectfully, knowing that Kuroko would have the same. "Let me guess, you're Ruiko-san," he pointed to the woman on the right who had her hair flowing down her back, "and you're Reiko-san," he then pointed to the woman who had done her hair in a bun with a bang at the front. Kuroko smiled his thanks at Kise. He honestly didn't know who was who as he'd never met them before. "It's an honour to finally meet Kise-kun's sisters." He smiled at them. Kuroko mentally cried, _Kise times three is bound to be hell._

"Kyaa!" they squealed. They then went to give him a hug.

"Who is this lil' cutie Ryou-chan?" Reiko asked, with a big grin on her face.

"He's my best friend from Teikou, Kurokocchi."

"This is the famous Kurokocchi?" Ruiko asked. "I've finally met you! Ryoucchi talks a lot about you!" she gave him a tighter hug, poor Kise felt like he was being crushed.

"Onee-chan, you're killing him!" Kuroko cried, fretting for both his body and Kise's life.

"Oh sorry," she let go of him and then went to her luggage. "Let me bring this up to my room, just give me a sec,"

"Ah, I forgot that I had luggage too, let's go nee-chan." Reiko said. The two women went up the stairs, chatting as they did so. Kuroko let out a breath. _This really is going to be the longest two weeks of my life._ However, Kise had on a worse expression.

"Of all the days, why are they here _now_?" He groaned out.

"I didn't know you had sisters Kise-kun," Kuroko started,

"You never asked," he smirked. Kuroko felt irritated at that statement. It was something he'd always say, so when it was used against him, he didn't like it. "Plus, my sisters can be a little loud and well, they love to hug a lot."

"I can see that." Kuroko sighed. "But you're all beautiful alike, are they models too?"

Kise blushed at the compliment, "No, they're not but Ruiko is a fashion designer." Kise said as he made his way into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Anything really," Kuroko shrugged, "I'm going to shower and get dressed."

"Alright, just try not to get hounded by my sisters," Kise winked at the boy. Kuroko shuddered at that.

"I'll try not to."

_xxxx_

Kise quickly exited the car and walked into Seirin's schoolyard. Since Reiko worked in Tokyo, she decided to drop him off at school. He was grateful, but he hoped that she wouldn't come for him in the evening; he needed to test out his plan. The walk to class was a task indeed, as he had on the ankle weights on both his legs, and arm weights on both his arms. Saying that he crawled to class was an understatement. It took Kise roughly ten minutes to get to his class, which was saying something. When he reached his class, he collapsed on his seat, exhausted. He could only imagine what would happen in training today.

"Shit, I have quadruple training!" Kise almost tore up. "How could I have forgotten?" he held his hair and groaned and that was when Kagami walked in.

"What's wrong Kuroko?" he asked. "Why are you attempting to rip your hair out?"

"Kagami-kun, I was just a bit distressed." Kise answered with a sigh.

"About what?" the redhead asked as he took his seat.

"I just remembered that we have quadrupled training today."

Kagami cringed "you don't have to remind me."

"You were the one who asked." He retorted. The bell sounded, and the teacher walked into the room. It was only Tuesday but Kise somehow grew comfortable at Seirin. All because he didn't have a horde of fangirls attacking him ever so often. Kise smiled at the blissful peace but then frowned when he remembered that people don't notice that he's there. _Well, it's a give and take situation it seems,_ he shrugged. He tried to move around his arms since they had on the weights, but it was proving to be a task. _All the better, when I take these off, Kurokocchi's body will be faster and stronger,_ Kise grinned.

The class began and Kise was bored. He was tempting to sleep but then a thought crossed his mind. _If I'm in Kurokocchi's body then…I'd have to do his tests! What if he's an A student? Shit!_ Once more, Kise grabbed his hair and groaned. That means he has to be vigilant in his studies as of now.

"I wonder how long is this body switch is going to last for?" he sighed.

_xxxx_

The Seirin team made their way to the gym after changing their clothes. Riko was already waiting for them inside, and immediately, they felt that they were going to die.

"What's with your faces?!" Riko barked, "Don't make me triple your training!"

"Yes ma'am!" the boys chorused, except Kagami and Kise. They had quadrupled training to do.

"Ah, Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun, don't think that I've forgotten about your training today," she chuckled evilly. The two boys just groaned. They started off by jogging around the field on the outside, the team had thirty laps while Kise and Kagami did a total amount sixty. Kise's legs felt like jello when he was done. With the ankle weights on, he was struggling to keep up with everyone else, but he knew that when his body got used to these weights, sixty laps would be a walk in the park.

Returning to the gym, the duo had to do ten sets of sprints, and of course, Kise could hardly keep up. He wished that he was in his body right now to leave Kagami in his dust. On the final sprint set, Kise could swear that his legs were going to give out. When he was finally finished, he collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.

"Man, that was brutal," Kise panted. He then reached for his water to hydrate himself.

"Tsch, obviously, our Coach is a demon." Kagami joined, "next time, don't smile in practice; I won't be able to stop myself from taking a picture."

"Well, aren't you cute," Kise teased.

"W-wh-what? Kuroko!" Kagami spluttered.

"What? I'm just honest. You may look like a terrifying beast but you're really cute." Kise deadpanned. He wanted to laugh but he feared that Riko would double their training tomorrow. Plus, since Kasamatsu always kicked him, he decided to have fun with Kagami in the space of receiving kicks.

"Are you teasing me you bastard?!" Kagami grabbed his hair and held a fist to his face.

"No, I'm just being honest." Kise said. He then got up and walked to the rest of the team. Looking at them, Kise wondered just what could he do for Seirin to make them stronger. Kuroko had already given Kaijou a new formation, formed a partnership with Kasamatsu and Kise knew that the boy wasn't finished with his team just yet. An idea came to him; He then turned to Riko,

"Coach," he called, "Is it possible for me to borrow Izuki-senpai, Kagami-kun, Mitobe-senpai, and Tsuchida-senpai?"

There was silence. Then the entire gym erupted in a screech of 'Eh'.

"What for Kuroko-kun?" Hyuuga asked.

"Well, I just want Kagami-kun, Mitobe-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai for one thing, but I want a longer time with Izuki-senpai."

"Oi, Kuroko, what are you planning?" It was Kagami who asked this time.

Kise couldn't help but smirk, "You'll see." The gym one more fell into silence after that. The four boys that Kise requested slowly made their way to Kise with looks of confusion on their faces.

"Mitobe-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai, pretend that I'm Kagami-kun and double-team me to the best of your abilities." Both boys nodded and went into position. Mitobe was facing Kise while Tsuchida was behind him. "Kagami-kun, please pay attention." Kise then bounced the ball twice and then on the third time, there was a loud dribble and then Kise pushed the ball passed Mitobe's face. Everyone was left in awe. Only the ball bouncing from the wall could be heard. Mitobe stood shaking while clutching his heart. Koganei ran up to the boy and promptly translated.

"Kuroko-kun, you almost gave me a heart attack." He translated. "Is what Mitobe says,"

"Sorry Mitobe-senpai," Kise replied. He found it odd how Koganei could understand what the raven was saying. "Did you see that Kagami-kun?" Kise asked, Kagami nodded. "I realized that because of your build and power, normal teams may try to double team you when you have the ball. So, instead of picking up a foul or have the ball stolen, I created this pass for you."

"That's great Kuroko-kun!" Riko shouted in glee.

"So how do I do it?" Kagami asked, he was thrilled that his shadow created something just for _him._

"Simple, dribble the ball strong enough so that it bounces all the way to the blocker's cheek, then you use the palm of your hand to push the ball forward." While explaining, Kise got an idea for a formation. He hung his head to hide the grin on his face. After he grinned enough, he raised his head and motioned for Kagami to get into position.

"Hyuuga-senpai, sorry for dragging you into this but could you stand by the three-point line?"

"Uh, sure Kuroko." He said. He then walked to his position, while the rest of the team wondered what was going to happen.

"Let's go Kagami-kun," Kise said. Kagami nodded at his partner. He dribbled the ball normally and then one the last, he dribbled harder than before. Mitobe was trembling. When 'Kuroko' passed the ball it was frightening enough but to have Kagami do the same – Mitobe almost had another heart attack. The ball was at his cheek, and he saw Kagami motioned to push the ball. The ball was sent flying, Kise was ready for it. He used his hand to redirect it Hyuuga, who hadn't it expected it. Excited, he shot the ball anyway, with a grin on his face.

Everyone watching had their jaws hung. The ball moved so quickly, that Riko hadn't a chance to focus properly. The only time she saw the ball was when Kagami was dribbling, and when Hyuuga was shooting.

"Kuroko-kun, what-what-what…" she stuttered, unable to form a sentence due to her shock.

"Well it's a formation I thought of," Kise replied coolly. "It works with three people. When Kagami-kun is being double-teamed he'll pass the ball to me and I'll redirect it to Hyuuga-senpai who has to shoot a quick three before the opposing team realize what's going on."

"It's a right angle formation." Furihata said in realization.

"And the best part is that it doesn't have to be one-set position. Meaning, Kagami-kun doesn't have to pass down-court to me, depending where I'm positioned but Hyuuga-senpai must always be by the three-point line."

"That's amazing Kuroko!" Kagami exclaimed. "I can't wait to use this in a match!"

"Kagami-kun, we have to use it wisely. We don't other teams figuring it out too fast." Kise said. His eyebrows were twitching as he struggled to keep his composure. He was tempted to shout 'me too!' But he held it down. "Just keep practicing, because somehow I get the feeling that you might push the ball in a defender's face." He deadpanned. Laughter ran out in the air after that statement.

"KU-RO-KO!" Kagami made an attempt to grab the blue-haired boy but Kise was faster. His legs were starting to get accustomed to the weight, and he inwardly smiled.

"So, was I needed at all?" Izuki asked after the laughter died down.

"Ah, Izuki-senpai," Kise said, "I need you of course. It's just going to be me and you," he then turned to Riko, "Coach is it okay for me and Izuki-senpai to train separately today?"

Riko was shocked. "Why Kuroko-kun?"

"It's a surprise," Kise winked at her. He then flinched when he remembered that he wasn't supposed to do that. He then briskly pushed Izuki to the other side of the gym and began his work. _I just hope that I'm as good a teacher as Kurokocchi._ Kise sighed.

"Are you alright, Kuroko?" Izuki asked.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"So what are we going to be doing?"

"Learning my passes." Kise said. Izuki was taken aback. Kise wanted to laugh but he fought the urge to. _Why is Seirin's practice full of so many laughable moments?_ "Don't worry Izuki-senpai, I believe that you can do it." This time he gave a tiny smile that he knew Kuroko would do. "Let's begin." Kise said, Izuki only nodded. Kise then took up the ball and chest passed it to him. Izuki looked at it questioningly when he caught it.

"When I'm passing the ball, I use my palm to push it forward." Kise explained, he then beckoned to Izuki to pass the ball to him. "Whenever the ball is passed to me, I observe where my teammates are before the ball reaches to me, so that I can redirect it quickly without being noticed, or the other team noticing." The ball had reached Kise and without hitch, he passed it right back to Izuki.

"I got it." Was Izuki's reply.

"Good, try to do a simple tap pass back to me. Don't hesitate." Kise said. He then bounced pass the ball to Izuki who, when he saw the ball coming, he followed Kise's instructions tapped the ball; however, it was off-course. Kise didn't let it bother him. He ran in the direction of the ball and sent it back to Izuki who tried another tap pass to Kise. This time, it was much better than the first, with Kise only having to move a foot. The ball then reached Izuki and they continued like this for the next ten minutes. Over that time, Izuki got better with the tap pass, and Kise was glad for that.

"Time to take it up a notch," he said as he walked to Izuki. "With these types of passes, you have to rotate your hips, shift your weight on whichever leg as your palm connects to the ball. Also, you have to flex your wrists. Since on a court you'll be constantly moving, sometimes the available person is a position where you have to twist some part of your body."

Izuki smiled at the last part, "So how are we going to go about this?"

"I'll keep changing my position, and you have to tap pass to me or bounce pass. You decide which is necessary whenever I change my position."

"Alright," Izuki nodded; somehow, he was fired by this session.

"Let's go. Pass in any way to me," Kise said. Izuki was next to the hoop while he was facing him.

Izuki chest passed to Kise, who tapped it back to him and ran to his right. Using his eagle eyes, Izuki flex his wrists as Kise said, and redirected the ball to him. Kise grinned at this and bounced passed the ball to Izuki then dashed across the court to end up in the same position as Izuki. Seeing this, shifted his weight onto his right leg, rotated his body and sent the ball flying to Kise. As for the other boy, he wanted to grin so much, but he had to force it down. Kise then remembered what Kuroko did to him, passed to an empty space.

He bounce pass the ball directly in front of him, luckily, Izuki has fast reflexes. Izuki dashed to the ball, but when he did that, Kise ran back to the hoop, but Izuki was already reaching for his right hand thinking Kise was still in his position. When he realized that he had moved, Izuki switched his weight onto his left leg, causing him to slightly lean backwards. Quickly, he tapped the ball into Kise's direction, earning a grin from the now blue-haired boy.

"Nice, Izuki-senpai!" Kise exclaimed. He couldn't keep down his joy anymore. With a tap, the ball went back to Izuki but this time, Kise ran towards the point guard, passing him and going further up the court, ending up at the point-line. Izuki bounced passed the ball to him, which he tapped further up the court, close to the centre line. Izuki ran after it, and then Kise followed.

This continued some more, both boys tuned out their surroundings. Their session ended up taking up the entire court, causing the others to leave the court and watch with awe. What they were doing reminded Kise of his and Kuroko's ping-pong training session, and it made the boy smile. He and Izuki continued so more, but something caught his attention. He wondered how Izuki was able to see him sometimes. There were times when he was in a certain position that would require someone to turn their heads but he didn't, yet, he still managed to get the ball to him.

"Amazing," Kagami breathed out. By now, the entire Seirin team minus Izuki and Kise, were sitting and watching the two. Everyone else was too awestruck to voice any opinion. The two continued, Izuki tapped the ball to Kise who then bounced it in the direction of the hoop. Izuki tried to catch it but he was a bit late, the ball crashed into wall.

"I think we can stop for today Izuki-senpai." Kise said as he sat on the floor. He was exhausted and the weights weren't helping.

"I never knew that was how you pass Kuroko, it's amazing. I think that I may get back aches tomorrow." Izuki said as he joined Kise.

"Kuroko-kun! Izuki-kun! I'm amazed," Riko smiled. "But what was that for Kuroko-kun."

"I thought that since I'm not in a game for the entire time, I thought that someone should be able to pass like me. I chose Izuki-senpai because he's a point guard."

"I've never thought of that," Riko said,

"But the opposing team will still be able to see him though," Kise rubbed the back of neck nervously.

"It doesn't matter!" Koganei spoke up, "Now our team will be more formidable!"

"Yeah, since Izuki-senpai got the ball on the ball today." Kise joked.

"Nice one Kuroko!" Izuki patted the other boy's back.

"I learned from the best," he said.

"NO KUROKO!" Hyuuga screamed with a look of horror on his face. "Die Izuki!" He grabbed Kise and was pulling him away from Izuki. They laughed at their captain's antics, while Izuki made some more puns just to annoy Hyuuga. Practice continued after that, Kise teaching Izuki more of Kuroko's passes and Riko testing out the full extent of the new formation that Kise came up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	7. Intermission

Chapter 7

...

Once again, Kuroko dreaded walking through Kaijou's gates. Fangirls after fangirls flocked him and much to his distaste, it seems as though they were endless. He wasn't in the mood to pretend to be Kise in this situation, so he completely ignored them. It was then that he saw Moriyama. For once, Kuroko grinned. He ran up to the third-year and greeted him with his flock of fangirls behind him.

"Moriyama-senpai!" he called.

"Oh, Kise," then he saw the girls behind him, "always the ladies-man, I see,"

"Uh," Kuroko started, he then turned to face the girls, "this is Moriyama Yoshitaka, and he's our shooting guard." Kuroko smiled. "But it gets even better; this handsome prince has the most unorthodox style of shooting that you can never get bored of watching him shoot, plus he never misses a shot. The way he shoots is like an art form, it seems as though he's dancing, so smooth and fluid, and it leaves you hypnotized!" Kuroko added dramatics to his introduction. The girls looked at him then at Moriyama and they directed their attention from Kuroko to Moriyama. _Victory,_ Kuroko inwardly smiled. He quickly whisked himself away, going to class.

Strangely, the walk to his class was more peaceful, and even when he reached in the classroom, he was only bombarded by a few girls. For once, Kuroko was calm at Kaijou but he had a feeling that it wouldn't last long. He made himself comfortable in his seat, and looked through the window.

"I hope this day goes by quickly," he sighed.

_xxxx_

Kuroko exited the locker room, and was grimly reminded that once he opened the door to the gym, he wasn't going to see Kagami, Coach Riko or anyone from the Seirin team. He sighed and pushed open the gym door. Before he could say anything, he was assaulted by a shout.

"Kise, you're late!" Kasamatsu shouted at him.

"Sorry Senpai," Kuroko replied. In fact, the reason for his lateness was that he got lost trying to find the faculty office. But he couldn't tell anyone that.

"Anyway, hurry and warm-up, Coach wants to run through that formation of yours with the regulars today."

"Alright," Kuroko went off to do some laps and he found that Kise's body was really monstrous. By the time he did ten laps outside, he was just starting to feel it. If it were his original body, he knew that he would've passed out by now. Thinking on that, he wondered how Kise was holding up. Riko's training can be strenuous, and for him to be in his body…Kuroko shook his head to rid the thought.

After a couple more minutes, Kuroko returned to the gym to see the boys around Takeuchi. Kuroko quickly jogged up to the group, and listened. He saw Takeuchi look around as though he was looking for someone.

"Where's Kise?" he asked.

"He was jogging outside," Kasamatsu answered, "though he should be done by now."

"Ah, I'm here Coach!" Kuroko called out.

"Good," Takeuchi seemed to exhale a breath. "We're going to be running through that triangular formation and trying out that misdirection thing again."

"Sure," Kuroko nodded.

"You know what would be good, if we could use those magic passes like Seirin." Kuroko heard someone whisper. He didn't know the name of the boy and he strongly doubts that Kise did. But, he already had made plans to teach Kasamatsu some of his basic passes and how to pass like him. He just didn't want to do it during practice in front of everyone.

"I know what you mean, but I've never seen that kid shoot." Another whispered back, "can he even shoot?"

"Enough with the whispers!" Kasamatsu barked. "I can hear you!"

"Alright, get into position!" Takeuchi blew his whistle after which the boys then dispersed into their positions on the court.

_xxxx_

Kuroko let out a breath of relief. Practice went smoothly, as a matter of fact, without hitch. A small smile graced Kuroko's face as surprisingly, this day was going well so far. He then walked over to where the gym bag was, and took out his bottled water. After two drinks, he saw Moriyama practically floated over to where he was.

"Kise, I must say," he started. He spoke in such a dramatic way that it gained the attention of everyone. "Thank you for today, you've officially become my hero."

"Uh, Moriyama-senpai," Kuroko felt uneasy. _Everyone_ was staring at them, and he still wasn't fully accustomed with people noticing him yet. "People are staring." Was all he could manage.

"What's this?" the shooting guard laughed. "Aren't you a model? People stare at you every day."

"Ano…" before Kuroko could finish what he intended to say, Kasamatsu came up to the two.

"He's become your hero? What did you do Kise?" Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"This morning I just introduced him to my fangirls and well, they left me alone after I did." Kuroko deadpanned. Kasamatsu and everyone else blanched.

"Because of that good deed, I was blessed with a fair maiden's number!" Moriyama happily announced.

"That's impossible," Kasamatsu said out of shock.

"Really? Ooohh let (m)e see!" Hayakawa said as he walked up to them. He was surprised that 'Kise' introduced Moriyama to girls, given the shooting guard's tendency to scare them off as soon as he opens his mouth. When Moriyama scrolled to the name and checked the number, Kasamatsu and Hayakawa quickly turned their heads away, hiding their faces. Kuroko was shocked as well, so he took the phone to see the number. He was not amused. Moriyama on the other hand, was frozen.

"Moriyama-senpai, can't you see that this is the number used to call the police?" he deadpanned. He saw Kasamatsu and Hayakawa's shoulders began to shake and their hands covered their mouths but they still kept their heads turned away. He continued, "Are you sure you didn't mistakenly save the emergency number under that girl's name due to your overwhelming joy at the moment?"

That was it. Kasamatsu and Hayakawa bust with laughter as hearing what Kuroko was saying wasn't helping Moriyama. When they looked at "Kise" they saw that he had a blank expression on his face which made it even funnier. Moriyama looked distraught.

"How could this be? Your introduction of me was perfect!" he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Kuroko patted the third year's back, hoping that it would alleviate his mood. But with Kasamatsu and Hayakawa roaring in the background wasn't making it any easier either. It was then that he realized what he'd said.

"Pfft!" he placed a hand to cover his mouth. He then thought of what Kise would do in this situation. _He would be laughing his ass off with Kasamatsu-san and Hayakawa-san._ Kuroko shook his head, hoping to get rid of the smile that was on his face. But then his thoughts trailed to Seirin. He wondered how they were doing over there, and was hoping Kise wasn't trying to make any jokes. He shuddered at the image of himself trying to make a joke or even worse, a lame pun like Izuki. Now he was worried. Kise was the type who loved to talk while he wasn't. He made a note to stop by a shrine to pray to deity to help Kise keep his reputation at Seirin as it is.

"Why am I worried? I just have to admit that I leave Seirin in Kise-kun's hands," he then sighed. "I wonder what he's up to." However the feeling wouldn't leave him alone, so kept glancing at Kise's phone to hope that the boy would text him. "I'll just wait after I change."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	8. Learning the Passes - Kasamatsu

Chapter 8

...

The next day, Kise woke up feeling drained. He was on his back, but when he tried to get up, he realized something, he couldn't move. He tried to lift his arms but they were so numb. His legs were the same. Kise couldn't believe this was happening to him. In his panic, he screamed out, causing both his sisters and Kuroko to dash into the room.

"Kurokocchi! What's wrong?" Kuroko asked, frantic.

"I think I'm paralyzed!" he screamed. Kuroko stared at Kise as though he was a fool. He was staring at Kise incredulously, not knowing what to say.

"Kuroko-kun!" Ruiko gasped, "are you sure that you're paralyzed?" Kise nodded.

Reiko then moved over to his legs, "can you feel this?" she then pinched him. He shouted as it stung and all three exhaled.

"That's a relief," Reiko said.

"Ano, Reiko-nee," Kise called. "I really can't move. My arms and legs feel like lead."

"What kind of Spartan training did you go through?"

Hearing this, Kuroko remembered that Kise said he had quadruple training. He then looked to the boy and saw the pained expression on his face. Without hesitation, he walked over to the bed and helped him sit up. He then placed one of his hands over his shoulder and then stood up.

"We're going to take a shower," he said to Kise's sisters. However, before they could reply, both he and Kise almost fell to the ground. "Can't you walk?" Kuroko asked. He wanted to avoid calling Kise 'Kurokocchi' for as long as possible.

"No, it's hard to lift my legs, they're damn heavy." Kise replied. Kuroko knew that Kise wasn't playing with him, he was serious.

"Alright," Kuroko closed his eyes and then re-opened them. What he was about to do, there's no way he was going to do it again after this. He took up Kise bridal style and marched to the bathroom. He's never seen Kise with this expression before and he found that looking at _his own face_ with _that_ expression was weird.

"Thank you Kurokocchi," Kise whispered as he leaned into Kuroko's ― er ― _his_ chest. It was then that it hit him. He was being carried by his Kurokocchi! Again! Kise ended up squealing out loud. _Uh-oh, I know where this is going,_ Kuroko inwardly groaned.

"I'm being carried by my Kurokocchi! I should have a camera to take a picture!"

"It's a good thing your arms aren't functioning as well." Kuroko deadpanned.

"Mou ~" Kise pouted at him. Kuroko felt his breath hitch. His face was really cute with a pout.

"Kise-kun, please stop that, you're making me look cute."

"I'm not making you, you already are! I can't wait to take a picture!"

Kuroko paused. It dawned on him that with _Kise_ in his body, he could do anything he wanted. He was already seeing multiple scenarios play out in his head where Kise could be seen taking selfies just about anywhere, taking pictures of _his_ face in the different expressions. Kuroko felt like crying, who knows if Kise would dress-up in some costume and take pictures when his back was turned?

"Kurokocchi, are you alright?" Kise asked seeing the look of worry on his face.

"Yeah, I was thinking that's all."

"About what?"

"This whole scenario."

Kise fell into silence after that. Somehow, he felt a pang of guilt. Going through that training while wearing the weights had done this much damage to Kuroko's body. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how to. They then made it to the door, luckily, it was already open. Kuroko placed Kise on top of the toilet while he undressed him without hesitation.

"Hmm, Kurokocchi, I never knew that you were so eager to undress me." He purred.

Kuroko slightly blushed. He hated looking at his face with those expressions. "Kise-kun, if you don't stop, I'll let your sisters do this instead."

"Are you sure about that? I've bathed with the both of them for all my life, even now, so I won't have a problem. But, it's your body ~"

"Shit," Kuroko grumbled. Kise was bringing out some sides of Kuroko he didn't know existed. "Fine, let's get this over with."

"Yay!" Kise shouted, sounding too much like a child.

_xxxx_

Kuroko emerged out of the bathroom once more with Kise in his arms. A frown was upon his face, as what happened in that bathroom; he made an oath to never speak about it. As for Kise, he returned to being a ball of sunshine. Kuroko walked into his room and then placed Kise on his bed, while he went into the guestroom (where Kise slept) to look for some clothes. He was adamant that Kise was not going to school with his body in that state. When he returned to Kise, all he had was a simple t-shirt and pants. However, what he encountered in the room wasn't what he expected.

Kise sat on the bed, just the way he left him, but both his sisters were there. Ruiko had a blow dryer and was drying his hair, while Reiko had a flat-iron waiting. Kuroko was too shocked to speak. Within the space of a couple minutes, Ruiko was finished. The hair on Kuroko's head was no longer spiked, but it still looked at pit puffy. Then Reiko immediately went to work. Kuroko saw her rubbed some hair product in his head and then used the flat-iron.

Kuroko wanted to scream but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He then found himself walking over to them.

"Onee-chan, what are you doing to Kurokocchi?" he asked calmly.

"Why, giving him a new hairstyle! He has had the same one from Teikou!"

"I have the same one from Teikou." Kuroko quickly said hoping that they would get the point.

"So? You're a model Ryou-chan, you've been through so many hairstyles it's more than your age!" she laughed.

"Don't worry, Kise-kun, it'll look great. Aren't your sisters specialists?" Kise grinned.

"Ye-yeah," Kuroko said. He then resigned to take a seat in the chair beside the bed, and sadly, watches the horror play out before him. He cringed every time he saw Reiko put the flat iron in his hair. _His_ hair. But, deep down Kuroko had faith that Kise's sisters won't make him look terrible.

"All done!" Reiko was smiling at her handy-work. She then went into her bad and pulled out a red-hair clip and placed it in Kise's new hair. Kuroko jumped up out of the seat, flew across the bed just to see what Kise looked like.

Kuroko was stunned. His hair was similar to Kise's original hair, being that it had no spikes. His side bangs looked a little longer, stopping a few centimetres below his ears. On his right side, his hair was slightly pulled back with the red hair clip.

"So, how do I look?" Kise asked.

"You look really nice," Kuroko admitted. "Even though we have similar hairstyles." He mumbled out but everyone still heard.

"But you're best friends! And plus Kuroko-kun is so cute Ryoucchi!" Ruiko squealed. "I have to take a picture! Smile!"

Kise didn't smile, he grinned. He was beaming with joy and for once, Kuroko was moved by Kise's smiles. Ruiko and Reiko screamed in delight and somehow, they dragged Kuroko in there as well. Being in Kise's body meant that he should be happy taking this picture, so he strike a pose that he knew Kise would make. He threw his arm around Kise's shoulders and placed his cheek against Kise's. The picture was then taken.

"And now, for the accessory!" Reiko smiled as she held a pair of glasses in her hand. The frames were red, to match the red hair clip and to compliment his blue hair.

"He's not a doll!" Kuroko almost screamed.

"Calm down Ryoucchi," Ruiko smiled. "We have glasses for you too."

"I think it's a good idea!" Kise perked up. "Maybe I'll get an ear piercing too. That way, we could really look like best friends! A piercing to show our friendship!" Kuroko looked like he would've strangled Kise in that moment. He then dismissed that thought as he knew that no matter how annoying Kise was, he couldn't find it in his heart to do any harm to the boy. So with a sigh, he took the glasses from the two women, put on his and gave Kise his.

He had to admit that the red framed glasses did look good on Kise. _Maybe when I get back my body I should wear red more often,_ Kuroko thought. Before anyone could say anything, he went and looked in the mirror. His glasses are red framed as well, and he couldn't help but smile. He too, looked good in the glasses. Well, Kise's body looked in anything he put on anyway.

"Another picture!" Ruiko screamed. Kuroko flinched at the sound as it felt as though his ears would have bled. He moved closer to Kise and once more the two stuck a pose and the camera went off.

"You two look so cute together!" Reiko said. She was almost bouncing in the room, but then her eyes caught the clock. "Oh my!" she gasped as she moved off to the door, "Time is far spent! I'll be making breakfast!" Ruiko then followed suit, leaving Kise and Kuroko alone in the room. It was then that he realized that neither Kise nor he were dressed. They were both in towels that only covered their lower bodies. Just imagine how that picture looks! Kuroko groaned. Kise was beaming with joy.

"Kise-kun, how can you be so happy?"

"Well, I'm with my best friend Kurokocchi!"

"I see," Kuroko then began to put on his school uniform and after he was finished, he then proceeded to dress Kise. He realized just how small he was, and a small chuckle escaped his lips. "Let's go," Kuroko then took up Kise and the two headed downstairs for breakfast.

_xxxx_

Kuroko sat on the bench, drinking water. So far, practice was going smoothly as well, but he wanted to improve Kasamatsu's passing ability. The problem was that he didn't want everyone in Kaijou to see _how_ he did it. Kise was enough. But he didn't know when he'd be able to teach the captain. He and Kise had already decided to make Saturday their training day, _before_ they go out to their team practices.

"Kise!" he looked up at the sound of his new name. Kasamatsu walked over to him and instead of sitting, he looked down on him. "Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"From Monday, you've been constantly spacing out." He answered. "Plus, I haven't kicked you that much since this week started. Usually, I'd be kicking you every five minutes during practice."

"Senpai," Kuroko said. He was appalled at the last sentence. _Kise got kicked very five minutes? That's something I'm not going to try to imitate._ "I'm fine, just wondering how I'm going work something out."

"Work what out?" Kasamatsu asked as he took a seat beside him. He saw the look on Kuroko's face and he felt that it was something important.

"Well," Kuroko began, "I was talking with Kurokocchi about you being my shadow and all, and he said that I made the right choice because you're a good point guard."

"And…?" Kasamatsu couldn't see where this conversation was going.

"Well, he had taught Izuki-senpai how to pass like him, so he said that he would teach you too. But, we both have training at the same time, he has school in Tokyo and by the time he gets home, it's late and he's tired. Saturdays are already out of the picture since we train with each other before team practice."

Kasamatsu almost dropped off the bench. "Kuroko wants to do what?!"

"Yeah, I could teach you but he's afraid that during our practice, the coach may want me to teach other Kaijou guys. Kurokocchi doesn't want the secret to his passes to be well known. He said I'm already enough."

"But if he said that, why would he want to teach me? Am I not his enemy on court?"

"That's _on court_ Senpai, and honestly, I don't know what came into his head. But he wants to teach you."

"Alright, if it's for Kaijou." Kasamatsu sighed.

"Come on Senpai, you don't have to hide it." Kuroko teased. "I know you're excited."

"Shut up!"

It was then that Kuroko _earned_ a kick from Kasamatsu.

_xxxx_

Kise had regained the feelings in his arms and legs in the afternoon. Not wanting to be cooped up in the house, he put on one _his_ hoodies, and set out. He then jogged around the neighbourhood, and for once, he wasn't too tired as he did the last time he jogged. He then realized that even though it destroyed his body, training with the weights had improved the body. He couldn't help but grin.

As soon as he bends a corner, he could see Kaijou's gates. School was already out, but he knew that the different clubs were in session. Even the basketball club. He was dying to see what his team was like, and what's more, he was dying to see the formation that Kuroko gave them in action. Without hesitation, he jogged towards the school. Quickly, he made his way to the gym, but before he was close enough, he could hear Kasamatsu's voice barking at everyone else. He chuckled to himself, and this prompted him to run even faster. Swinging open the gym doors, he saw a sight that he wasn't even sure when he'd see it again.

The court was packed with boys, running laps, sprints and training in teams. Sweat dropped onto the court, some boys sitting on the benches rehydrating themselves, while some sat the floor catching their breaths. His eyes scanned the courts to try and find Kuroko, his body. He wasn't hard to find though, not only was he tall, he was the only blond. He stood out more than the ball. Swiftly, he navigated his way towards Kuroko, due to Kuroko's body not having any presence, he made it without incident. A smile graced his face.

"Hello, Kise-kun." He said.

"Uwaah!" Kasamatsu shouted. He didn't realize when 'Kuroko' had reached there. However, he continued to look at the boy as he thought there was something different about him from the last time they met.

"Kurokocchi!" Kuroko then hugged the smaller boy; however, he didn't say his name loud enough to gain the attention of everyone.

"What are you doing here, Kuroko?" Kasamatsu asked. "Were you sent here to spy?"

"Oh no, Kasamatsu-senpai," Kise replied. He paused. "Kasamatsu-san," he self-corrected himself.

"It's fine,"

"He's actually here to help me with you." Kuroko said quickly. He himself had no idea why Kise was there. "Do you think we can leave practice early today?"

"I'd have to ask. Come with me, Kuroko."

Kise jumped at that. Kuroko then whispered what he told Kasamatsu and then set the boy to follow the captain. He reached up to where they were, Takeuchi almost jumped out of his skin because of it.

"When did you get in here?" He asked.

"A couple minutes." Kise deadpanned.

"Coach, Kuroko here wants to teach me his passes but he doesn't want to do it here." Kasamatsu explained. Kise only nodded in agreement.

Takeuchi paused. "Excuse me?" the coach wasn't sure if he heard right. "I'm sure that I ―"

"I want to teach Kasamatsu-san how to pass like me and I'll also need my dear Kise-kun. So is it possible for them to leave practice early? Like right now?" Kise pleaded.

After he regained his composure, he answered, "But I need them both here. Are you sure you can't just drag them to another side of the court?"

"As long as no one else from Kaijou tries to learn my secrets or else I'll _kill_ you." Kise threatened. He respected Kuroko to know that once his secrets are out, a lot of people will try to duplicate it, and thus what would make him special and able to play basketball would be gone. He knew that he had just made Kuroko's face scary, but he didn't care. He wanted the coach to get the idea.

"Alright," Takeuchi agreed, shivering underneath that deadly gaze. He then blew his whistle, causing the boys to assemble where they were. "Set up a partition, everyone will be training on this side of the court." He said.

"Half-court?" Moriyama asked. "Why Coach?"

"It's for Kasamatsu and Kise, that's all."

Kise was shocked. He was standing right before them and not one of them noticed his presence. He almost found it funny, but he didn't let that bother him. _All the better if they don't notice me,_ he then went beside Kuroko and waited until the partition was finished.

After a couple minutes, the court was ready. In fact, Kasamatsu was really excited but at the same time, confused. He had no idea what would drive 'Kuroko' to teach him, the _captain_ of an opposing team. The two then made their way to the other half-court, while the other players were crammed on the other.

"Firstly, let's give him an idea of what we expect him to be able to do." Kuroko smiled at Kise.

"Ping-pong?"

"Yes."

Kise wanted to grin but he didn't as he remembered that Kuroko doesn't. Kuroko then threw the ball to Kise, indicating that he should start. He walked down the court ending up at the wall. Kuroko followed, but stayed at an angle from Kise. Kise then began to dribble the ball and that was when the guys on the other half-court noticed his presence. Kise bounce passed the ball to Kuroko and then he moved a little further up the court, almost heading to the outside. Kuroko then tapped the ball into Kise's direction and then swiftly, moved to the back of Kise.

Seeing this, Kise had to pivot on his left leg and sent the ball flying to Kuroko. The other boy then bounced the ball to Kise before heading up the court. Kise tapped the ball in Kuroko's direction and then moved up the court almost heading outside in the same position as Kuroko. Kuroko redirected the ball across to Kise and then moved diagonally to his left, getting closer to Kise. Kise bounced the ball to him, and dashed diagonally to his right ending up on Kuroko's right on the outside. Out of pure reflexes, Kuroko had leaned forwards, and passed the ball behind his back. He then moved a little further up the court. He smirked at Kise.

Seeing this pass, Kise was stunned. It was then that he realized that he would never be a match for Kuroko in terms of passing. When the ball was close enough, he stepped a little and bounced the ball to Kuroko, running further up the court. Kuroko then made a fast pass to Kise and then he went further up court catching up to Kise. Kise then tapped the ball over to Kuroko who bounced it to Kise when he moved a little up the court. Kuroko moved further also, Kise then tapped the ball over to Kuroko once again before he moved closer to the net. Kuroko bounced it to Kise, who bent his knees and pushed the ball into the air. Seeing this, Kuroko jumped and dunked the ball with his left hand, having to jump over Kise and land on his right side.

Kasamatsu was left in awe. The speed at which they passed the ball was so fast that the ball seemed like a blur. The rest of the team had long stopped training to take in what was happening. Everyone felt their breaths hitched. Even Takeuchi was speechless.

"And that, Kasamatsu-san, is what you'll be able to do when we're done with you." Kise deadpanned.

"I have to can do that today?" the Kaijou captain clutched his heart. _Who knew that Kuroko was actually this amazing?_

"No, it will take more than a day." Kuroko joined in.

"But how will we find the time?" Kasamatsu asked again.

"We'll make it." Kise said.

Kuroko then walked over to where Kasamatsu was, and then dragged him onto the court. Kuroko then looked to Kise who knew what that look meant. But before he said anything, he looked across to the other court seeing the boys stare at them. He then took his index finger and moved it across his throat, only Takeuchi understood this message.

"Get back to training!" he barked.

Kise smirked and then turned back to face Kasamatsu and Kuroko. "Let's begin."

"The first thing Senpai, unlike us, Kurokocchi passes the ball with his palm." Kuroko began. "Like so," he then demonstrated to the captain. Kise only stood and nodded as if he were overseeing the two. "In addition to that, the wrists are flexed so that the ball's direction can be changed. We didn't do that though."

"Okay,"

"Also, depending on the teammate that I'm passing to, and where I'm positioned, I have to rotate my hips or upper body, and shift my weight onto whichever leg corresponding to the hand I'm passing with." Kise joined in. "The reason why no one is able to recognize that the ball is being passed around is because I don't hold the ball. As soon as the ball is passed to me, I immediately send it to another teammate."

"That's…" Kasamatsu didn't know what to say.

"Also, before you get the ball, you should observe where your teammates are. That way, you can pass the ball quickly."

"Well I'm a point guard so…"

"There's a difference." Kuroko said. His face was too serious and Kise felt like cracking up. "As a point guard, when the ball is passed to you, you catch it and _then_ look at who's available. When you do that, the opposing team will be focused on you and the ball, so when you pass, it makes it easier to steal and such." He then seemed angry, "and no one should steal my balls."

Kise turned his face away from them, snickering. _I see Kurokocchi is still hates whenever his balls get stolen._ Neither Kuroko nor Kasamatsu looked at Kise even though they heard the snickering.

"So are you ready to try it out, Senpai?" he heard Kuroko ask.

"Sure why not?" Kasamatsu shrugged.

"Kurokocchi! Senpai is ready!" Kuroko waved at the other boy. Kise couldn't help but smile. He was amazed at how well Kuroko was at imitating him, while he was not. He even made a pun yesterday. _Kurokocchi can't know about that, he'll kill me._

"Alright, alright," Kise said as he walked closer to them. He then went a couple steps down the court, stopping at angle from Kuroko. He then threw the ball at Kasamatsu and nodded. "Pass the ball to me, but you can't use your regular passes. Remember what we told you."

"Uhm," Kasamatsu said as he dribbled the ball. He then shifted to his left made an attempt to pass. Kuroko shifted as well, blocking his path.

"A simple bounce pass through my legs, Senpai." Kuroko said, "In a match, the opposing team would expect you to try to pass the ball around me, instead of through my legs. When passing like Kurokocchi, you have to think outside of the box."

"I see," Kasamatsu agreed. He then looked at Kise who nodded.

"You can do it, Kasamatsu-san," Kise said to his former captain. "And even though you are learning the techniques to may passes, you can still find a passing style that fits you. Like when Kise-kun passed behind his back."

"Thanks for that tip."

Kuroko reached for the ball from Kasamatsu and then he threw it to the captain. Without hitch, Kasamatsu bounced pass the ball through Kuroko's legs and to Kise. His eyes widened at the speed which the ball had reached 'Kuroko'.

"Nice Kasamatsu-san," Kise said, "now let's do it again, but also prepare yourself to receive the ball as well." Kasamatsu nodded. Kuroko looked at Kise and found that he was enjoying himself a little too much. Kise gave Kuroko the ball and then the taller boy chest passed it to Kasamatsu who once more made it bounce through his legs to Kise. Kise then tapped the ball to the left, Kuroko run after it and bounced it Kasamatsu. The Kaijou captain then tapped it back to 'Kise', who made a smile. Kuroko then tapped the ball into an empty space after which Kise went after it.

Kuroko then moved and ended up in the same position as Kasamatsu as Kise passed the ball to Kasamatsu. "Pass it to Kise-kun without moving from your spot Senpai," Kuroko said.

Kasamatsu nodded. Glancing around, he saw that 'Kise' was in the same position as him. Remembering what the two did, and what they told him, he tried to duplicate. He took one step, and with flexed his wrist to use his left hand's palm to pass the ball to 'Kise'. Kuroko then tapped the ball to Kise and then ran further up the court to be in line with Kise.

"Don't move Senpai, stay as you are." Kuroko said to Kasamatsu. When the ball reached Kise, he then bounce it to Kasamatsu who had to turn for it. When he felt the ball in his palm, he pivoted on his right leg to try to redirect it to 'Kise', however, due to him being new to this, it was off-course. It flew into the partition, earning the looks of the rest of the Kaijou team.

"Ah, that was a fairly good attempt, Senpai," Kuroko said as he walked towards him while Kise went for the ball. "But next time, make sure the ball is firm in your palm so when you spin or pivot, by the time you let go, it's on the right course."

"Ah thanks, you seem to be knowledgeable about this."

"Of course, Kurokocchi was my instructor back in Teikou when I first joined." He said. "He taught me how to pass well."

"Seriously?!" Kasamatsu was shocked at that statement. "But why didn't you pass like that when we had the practice match!?"

"Ah," Kuroko looked away. "It's because I didn't know you guys well so I don't know how to measure the passes."

"That's why you should've come to practice!" Kasamatsu barked. "Who knows we could've won that match you fool!"

"Hai, Senpai."Kuroko said, turning his face away from the furious captain.

Seeing what was transpiring, Kise felt sad. Before the practice between Seirin, he hadn't come to practice that much but when he did, he went off doing his own thing. He hadn't had a relationship with his fellow teammates, as he wondered if Kuroko had noticed that and was trying to fix it.

"I really am an idiot," he mumbled. "Thank you Kurokocchi," it was barely a whisper but somehow, Kuroko ended up looking at him. He saw the look in his eyes, and gave him a look which clearly said _'we're going to be talking when we get home.'_

When Kise came back to them with the ball, they then decided upon a pass pattern. Kise would pass to Kasamatsu who would then pass to Kuroko.

They started off once again, widening their use of space. Instead of using only one half of the court, they decided to use both sides of the half-court. They continued their ping pong as Kuroko and Kise had dubbed it, and Kasamatsu was beginning to see just how vicious 'Kuroko' could be. His speed increased to match 'Kise's' and the two boys seemed to be in a league of their own. Kasamatsu had a hard time keeping up with them, as there were times when the ball went off-course but one of them still managed to catch it.

Their passes became more and more complicated. From pivoting to wrists flexing, passing from behind the back, along with twists and turns, Kasamatsu felt as though he would get back pains the next day. But he also found that he was getting the hang of the passes. Even though their speed was on another level, Kasamatsu couldn't help but awe. _This is what it looks like when Kuroko is playing with another member of the Generation of Miracles, amazing._ He then began to imagine if another member had gone to Seirin along with Kuroko. That would've been a nightmare.

But as he got better, they decided to change the pass patterns even adding challenges as they go along.

_xxxx_

The three boys sat on the court exhausted. Kasamatsu kept moving around his wrists and when he looked at Kuroko and Kise he wondered just what were they. He got a new outlook on the Generation of Miracles and wondered just why everyone thought there were five of them. In his eyes, 'Kuroko' is a prodigy, one that specializes in passes, who never got the credit he deserved. Hearing the coach blow the whistle, Kasamatsu got up realizing that practice was over.

"Thank you for today Kuroko," he said as he helped the boy on his feet.

"No problem, Senpai," Kise answered.

"But, it's only going to get harder the next time." Kuroko answered.

Kasamatsu paused. "The next time?"

"Yes, these passes can't be mastered in a day. You need practice and that's why I'm entrusting Kise-kun to help you while I'm away. Plus Inter-High Prelims are right around the corner." Kise said, knowing full well that Kuroko had already wanted to teach Kasamatsu his passes.

"You can count on me," Kuroko actually grinned. Seeing that grin, Kasamatsu could do nothing but flinch. He had a feeling that 'Kise' had something in store for him and he honestly wished he didn't have to find out. Kise walked away towards the door.

"I'll be waiting at the gate." He told Kuroko.

"Yeah, I won't take long to change."

With that, Kasamatsu and Kuroko went over to where the coach and the rest of the team were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	9. Learning to shoot - Kuroko

Chapter 9

...

The rest of week went by in a flash. Kuroko had finally gotten accustomed to life with Kise and his two sisters, developing a routine of some sorts. In the morning before the sun is out, he and Kise would go for their morning jogs and return after an hour and a half. Then, he'd take a shower and brush his teeth (sometimes with Kise barging in, which most times pisses him off). After his shower, he would put on Kaijou's uniform and pack his gym bag and then head downstairs for breakfast. Breakfast for Kuroko was hell, as Kise was a monstrous eater and he had to eat all that food. Kuroko would then engage in a cheery conversation between Kise's sisters, sometimes Kise putting in a word or two. At 7:15 on the dot, he would leave for school, leaving Kise and his sisters in the house.

School was another routine. He would enter through the gates and would be 'harassed' (that's what he feels) by Kise's fangirls. He would then either encounter Moriyama, Hayakawa or Kasamatsu and then use them as bait (Moriyama mostly) to escape the girls. When he reached Kise's class, he would just pretend to sleep until the teacher walked in, or sometimes, he would fake a headache or some sort of illness to stay in the nurse's office until school starts.

Practice was the same. Kuroko would go to the gym and do warm-ups with the team, always staying close to Kasamatsu (not that the captain minded, since Kuroko wasn't as chirpy as Kise was). After their warm-ups and stretches, they would try to perfect the triangular formation, rotating the players who would be in the triangle. It ranged from Kuroko-Kasamatsu-Moriyama, to Kobori-Hayakawa-Kasamatsu and so on. The coach would then give them a break, and then they (mostly Kuroko) would incorporate the misdirection into play.

When it reached an hour left for practice, Kuroko would drag Kasamatsu aside and help him with the passes, and much to Kuroko's _current_ delight (he knew that once he and Kise switch back bodies, he won't be delighted anymore), Kasamatsu was getting better. _Way_ better. He grinned like Kise for _once_ , happy at the captain's speed of growth. Kuroko was actually anticipating playing _with_ Kasamatsu in an official match.

After practice, he and Kasamatsu would then walk home together until the captain turned up his avenue. Before Kuroko got home, he would head to the basketball court and waited for Kise. When the other arrived, they would go through passing, dribbling and blocking so that Kuroko could perfect it in Kise's body. This lasted for an hour and a half before both boys went home where they would take a bath (Kise _always_ takes a bath with him in the evenings), eat dinner, then do homework and study with each other.

That was Kuroko's first week as Kise Ryouta.

_xxxx_

Just like Kuroko, Kise felt that the three remaining days in the school week went by quickly. He and Kuroko would always go for jogs in the mornings (Kise still uses the wearable arm and ankle weights), and after an hour and a half, they would return home. Kise was numb sometimes, but he found that he was getting faster and stronger. He'd then barge in on Kuroko (sometimes) and shower with the other boy, his excuse: _to make sure his Kurokocchi is treating his hair right_. He knows that it annoys Kuroko, but, Kuroko can't do anything to him, not when he's in _his_ body. After his/their shower, he would head downstairs to help with breakfast while Kuroko packs his gym bag and outs on his uniform. Whenever Kuroko comes downstairs, breakfast is ready, and the four eat. Kise dreads this as Kuroko has to be the one who's mostly talking, while he only says a sentence or two. He misses being able to talk a lot.

At 7:15, Kuroko would be gone, leaving him with his sisters. At 7:30, he and Reiko would head to her car as she works in Tokyo and Seirin is in Tokyo. The car ride is usually fun, as he and Reiko would discuss all sorts of things that he knew Kuroko would've been able to answer. Even though most times, it's about fashion or photography. He would then exit the car at Seirin's gate, much to his relief, no one really notices him. He got used to being invisible and sometimes, he really doesn't mind it. He would then walk to class, navigating around students so that they don't bump into him. Reaching Kuroko's class, he would take his seat and gaze through the window until Kagami comes and ruffles his hair. He would then make a face, and proceed to straighten it, the taller not noticing the change in hairstyle. He and Kagami would then engage in a conversation, until the teacher came and the school day begins.

At practice, Kise would try his best not to laugh his ass off. Seirin's practices were hilarious to him, he found that Izuki's lame puns were so lame that they ended up being funny and Hyuuga's threats to the point guard were on another level. Also, Hyuuga would try everything in his power to get him away from Izuki, stating that _'Izuki is ruining him'._ He would also find a way to tease Kagami, he still found it a shocker that the boy who looked so intense and scary at their practice match was actually like a big teddy bear (when not pissed off or playing basketball). Kise thought of making it his daily mission to tease the redhead but then he remembered that Kuroko would one day return to his body, but the most important one was that Aida Riko was a demon coach that he didn't want to drag him to hell.

Anyway, during the training sessions, Kise found that he was starting to keep up with the group, be it sprints, jogs, or when they have road runs. He would, after all that training, drag Izuki to the other half of the court and continues practicing Kuroko's passes. He then discovered that the senpai actually has a skill called 'eagle eye' which gives him an even greater help in mastering the passes. Just like Kuroko, Kise was delighted. What was even more was that due to him getting the hang of it and such, Izuki was starting to create passing styles of his own. Kise had to hold his head down to hide his idiotically grinning face. He'd always leave practice ten minutes early as he needed to catch the train back to Kanagawa.

After the short train ride, he would jog towards the basketball court where he would meet Kuroko. The two would go over passing, blocking, and dribbling. He and Kuroko would do that for an hour and a half before heading home. At home, Kise would _always_ take a bath with Kuroko and then head downstairs to eat dinner. After, both he and Kuroko would do their homework their together after which they would study, which of course, Kise detests. Whenever they were done and had some time remaining, Kise would watch their old Teikou matches (Kuroko declining every time), trying to copy moves so that he could teach Kuroko.

That was Kise's first week as Kuroko Tetsuya.

_xxxx_

It was a Saturday morning; Kuroko woke up groggily as his body was sore from training.

Kuroko rolled over onto his back, and placed a hand over his eyes. He didn't know that Kise had this side of him. The time was an ungodly _six o'clock_ on a _Saturday._ Slowly, he found the strength to sit up in the bed, and when he was crawling towards his door, it swung open. _Who_ he saw left him shocked. There was Kise standing before him, fully dressed with a smug look on his face.

"You've just gotten up, Kurokocchi?" Kise started. "If you don't hurry up, we'll arrive at the court late and I'm pretty sure you don't want to be kicked by Kasamatsu-senpai now, do you?"

Kuroko flinched. He remembered the last time he got a kick from that captain. Without hesitation, he dashed to the bathroom, brushing his teeth and taking a shower. Kise walked to the bathroom, and knocked.

"Remember to use the hair products! Moisturize before you brush!"

"I know!" Kuroko shouted back. He quickly washed Kise's hair and then proceeded to wash himself. After thirty minutes, he was out of the bathroom and dashed to his room. There were clothes laid out on the bed, and he thanked Kise in his heart for picking them out. However, he saw that there was the red-framed eye glass beside it. He sighed. But he decided to go along with it anyway. When he was done, he looked in the mirror and actually liked it. It was simple and not flashy, which he hoped might help him to avoid fangirls. He wore black jeans and a simple white v-neck t-shirt. To complete it, he wore a pair of white sneakers with red-stripes on the side. He then put on the glasses, took up his gym bag and walked out.

He went downstairs and saw a difference. There was only Kise in the kitchen, while his sisters were nowhere to be found. He exhales a relief. Having three Kise under the same roof in his opinion was not healthy and right now, he glad that he got a break…or something close to that. When he sat on the chair he then asked,

"Where are your sisters Kise-kun?"

"They're sleeping." He answered with a shrug. "They don't usually wake up until midday on a weekend anyway."

"I see," was all Kuroko could manage.

Couple minutes later, Kise emerged from the kitchen with plates in his arms, and set them down in front of Kuroko. He cringed. He then looked at Kise's face and saw the sadistic grin and knew that there was no way he would be able to talk his way out of this. Kise then returned to the kitchen and brought out his share, which made Kuroko gape in horror.

"Kise-kun, you can't be serious?" Kuroko asked, for one his tone wasn't monotonous when talking to Kise.

"Very," Kise answered with a sly smirk. "I told you Kurokocchi, your diet needs to go. As a basketball player, you can't eat that little."

"But that's too much Kise-kun." Kuroko looked worried. Seeing the amount of food before Kise made him fret that his small body may burst.

"Don't worry; by the time we get to the court and start, I'll burn off the excess fat." Kise smiled. "Your figure will still be there."

"Figure?" Kuroko's eyebrow twitched. "Kise-kun, stop the teasing."

"Bu it's fun Kurokocchi! I can't tease any of your teammates so you'll have to suffice."

"Hai, hai," Kuroko barely said as he started his breakfast. " _Itadakimasu._ " _Good God, what did I do to deserve this?_

_xxxx_

It was seven thirty when the two boys finally left the house. They walked in a fair pace to the basketball court which was about a ten minute walk from Kise's house. The walk was silent, surprisingly, and Kuroko was grateful for the temporary peace. Entering the court, Kuroko sighed a relief as the court was empty due to the fact that no one in their right minds would be up at this hour.

"Kurokocchi, can you shoot?" Kise asked suddenly.

Kuroko looked at him as though he was an idiot, "Kise-kun, you should know that I _can't._ "

"That's not what I meant Kurokocchi. Have you tried shooting a three-pointer in my body?" Kise sighed. He then folded his arms. "The fact is my body is stronger and taller, so I don't think there should be an issue with shooting."

"That's ―" Kuroko broke off, realizing the sense in Kise's words. It gave him an idea. If he could pull this off then that would mean, he _can_ shoot. Unconsciously, he found himself grinning. Kise looked at his grinning face and smiled. _I never knew that I looked that good._

"Kise-kun, I think I am heated up."

"Right you are, Kurokocchi." Walking up to the net, Kise stopped when he reached the three-point line. He then, with a focused mind, shot the ball towards the net. It went in with a smooth ' _swish_ ', Kise then turned to Kuroko with a triumphant grin on his face. Looking at Kise, Kuroko got first-hand what it would look like if he were a shooter. Kise looked so graceful shooting that three that Kuroko could only stare on in awe.

"Ne, Kurokocchi," Kise began, "this means that you can actually shoot like a normal person. It's not your bodily restraints but something else." Kise said while stroking his chin.

"Kise-kun, I am a passing specialist, I guess it's in me to just pass the ball." Kuroko said, "So I suppose it's because of that."

"Hmm, probably." He shrugged. "Well, try shooting a three." Kise tossed the ball to Kuroko. He then walked up to three-point line, bent his knees to take the shot. However, before he could do so, Kise came up beside him.

"Your stance is a little off and your shoulders are too tensed." He began, "Bend your knees a little bit more," he then placed his hands on Kuroko's shoulder. "Relax, if you're overexcited then your shots won't go in."

"How can I?" Kuroko asked. "There's so much that I have to be able to do in such a short space of time."

"You can do it," Kise smiled. "I believe in you Kurokocchi, after all, you weren't the phantom sixth man for nothing!"

"Th-thanks." Was all Kuroko could manage. He couldn't remember the last time of the miracles ever said that to him, _if_ they ever did. Inhaling and exhaling, Kuroko had a look of determination within them. Bending his knees, Kuroko was in position ready to make a three. When he released the ball, a look on Kise's face; He could see that the ball wasn't going to make it…it stopped short, bounced off the rim of the hoop. Kuroko sighed.

"Kurokocchi," Kise called. "Try making another three, you're almost there."

"Really?"

"Yes, forget about _your_ body, adjust to _my_ body instead. Make the jump according to my body's height, stretch your arms higher; they're a bit too close to your head when you release the ball. But most importantly, don't think about it. Just do it."

"Alright," Kuroko was actually nervous. For the first time in a long time, Kuroko was shaking.

"Kurokocchi," Kise said as he chuckled. "There's no need for you to be shaking like that. As I said before, just do it. Don't worry about anything."

Kuroko once more got into position. He looked at the hoop with an intense stare, and then released the ball. The ball was beautifully arched in the air and Kise couldn't help but grin. The ball went into the hoop with a _swish,_ it was perfect. Without a second more, Kise rushed to Kuroko and enveloped him in a tight bear hug.

"You did it!" he cheered.

"I actually did." Kuroko himself was in disbelief. "I did."

"So, how did it feel?"

"It felt extremely uncomfortable." Was Kuroko's blunt answer. "I'm not accustomed to shooting and I pass irregularly so…"

Hearing that Kise got an idea, "I think I've found the problem to the reason why you can't shoot."

"And what's that?"

"Specializing in one field usually makes someone terrible in a field that's opposite to theirs right? Like if someone specializes in English, they tend to suck at Math right?"

"Yes, but what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the reason you can't shoot is because you never learned to and now that you're specialize in passing, the _opposite_ of shooting, it's going to be difficult for you." He explained. "And what's even worse, you're trapped in my body for God knows how long and I have a pretty good feeling that you may be in a situation where you _must_ make a three."

Kuroko shuddered. He knew Kise was right, which means, he has to learn how to make a regular three, even if it is uncomfortable. But Kise had other plans for Kuroko.

"Kurokocchi, try shooting again, this time, use your palm."

"What? How's that going to work?"

"I don't know. But since you're a passing specialist, why don't you imagine that you're passing to the hoop instead?"

"But how would the ball enter the net? And how can I use my palm to push the ball into the air in the first place?"

"Well ordinary shooters use the tips of their fingers…" Kise held his hands over his head pretending to shoot. "I've got nothing."

"I don't think it should matter. As long as I can shoot a normal three in your body that should be fine right?"

"Yeah, but what if we could find a way to make you be able to _shoot_ while in your own body? Wouldn't that be great?!" Kise said. "I mean, if you can disappear, wouldn't it be cool if you could make your shot disappear too?"

"It…" Kuroko trailed off. He then imagined the expressions of shock and confusion on his opponents face when they tried to block the shot but it still ended up scoring. "…would be nice." He then had a little smile on his face and Kise wouldn't miss that.

"I know! But, anyway, the break's over. Let's get shooting!"

Kuroko groaned loudly. Kise on the other hand, had on a grin that if Kuroko saw it, he would've ran.

_xxxx_

Kuroko walked into Kaijou's gym with both his arms hanging loosely by his side and a sickening look on his face. Walking over where Kasamatsu and Hayakawa were, he barely greeted them with an audible 'good morning'.

"Eek!" Hayakawa nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw 'Kise's' face.

"Good grief, you look like shit, Kise." Kasamatsu said, looking at the boy in disbelief. "What happened?"

"He's a demon." Kuroko muttered.

"Who?" both boys asked. However, the question went unanswered as Moriyama strolled over.

"Oh," he said when he saw how haggard Kuroko looked. "Why don't you come to school like this often? That way I can get a chance to meet a fair maiden!"

Kuroko slowly turned to face the shooting guard. The look on his face was scary, added to that, the sentence he just said seemed to make Kuroko mad.

"I guess I'm going to stop introducing you then." He said, however, it sounded more like a snarl which caused the shooting guard to flinch.

"Kise! Are you sick?" Takeuchi asked as he caught the look on the boy's face when he had turned to Moriyama.

"No Coach, it's just that Kurokocchi woke me up at six o'clock and dragged me to the court for training."

A pause. Everyone looked at 'Kise' as though he spoke another language.

"Kuroko did? Why?" Kasamatsu asked. "And he's the demon you mentioned earlier?"

"Because there were things that I needed to polish and he wanted to show me some more passes for you." Kuroko seemed to come back to reality. "Coach, can I borrow Kasamatsu-senpai before we start training? It's to improve his passes and Kurokocchi would skin me if I slack off with Senpai."

"Alright, alright," Takeuchi sighed. He then turned to the rest of the team, and ordered, "Go run some laps outside! I'll tell you when to come in!" the coach would not forget just how scary 'Kuroko' was but he was grateful that the boy chose to teach his point guard his dangerous passes. In a matter of a minute the gym was emptied, leaving Kasamatsu and Kuroko alone to practice.

The two then went through a series of passes going up and down the court. Every time they completed the court, they would start over but increase the speed. Kasamatsu was starting to keep up with him and he was grateful for that. But then, seeing a pass from Kasamatsu ignited something with him.

"I'll be right back Senpai!" he then dashed out towards the doors.

"Oi Kise!" Kasamatsu called out to the boy. But Kuroko didn't look back.

Once he made it outside, he went directly to Takeuchi. Before he could say anything to the coach however, Kuroko noticed just how the boys were positioned. At the front, there were two boys, and everyone else fell in behind him in some sort of triangle. Getting out of his reverie, he then went to Takeuchi.

"Coach, can I borrow Moriyama-senpai please?"

"Hmm? Why Kise?"

"I thought of something."

Takeuchi sighed. "Fine," he then blew his whistle causing the horde of boys to stop. "Moriyama! Head inside!"

"Yes!" the shooting guard cheered. He quickly ran to the doors and headed inside. Kuroko followed behind him and when the two finally reached where Kasamatsu was, he raised an eyebrow.

"You went for Moriyama?"

"Hai, Senpai." Kuroko answered.

"You're the one who saved me? And here I thought it was a goddess smiling down upon ―"

"Shut up!" Kasamatsu kicked his fellow third year for saying that sentence. When he calmed down he then looked at 'Kise'. "So what do you have in store for us?"

"I want you to pass to Moriyama-senpai for him to make the shot." Kuroko said.

"Eh? But haven't you seen me taken shots before?"

"Yes, but do it just this once, please?"

"As you wish," Moriyama said as he walked to the three-point line. Kasamatsu chest passed the ball to him and he made the shot. However, seeing it, Kuroko couldn't help but smile. He was right. He then walked over to where Kasamatsu was standing, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Senpai, I want you to stand over there," he pointed on the opposite side of the court, "and send a fast pass to me." Kasamatsu nodded. "Moriyama-senpai, I want you to stay where you are, but before you get the ball, I want you to start moving as though you have the ball."

"Eh? How is that going to work?"

"That's why it's practice. But make sure to watch Kasamatsu-senpai and then move accordingly."

"I'll try."

"Good, I'm ready Senpai!" Kuroko said. Kasamatsu nodded and began dribbling the ball. Then, remembering what he was taught, he pushed the ball forward using his palm to Kuroko. When Moriyama saw that, he then began to get into his bad rotation style. With a flick of his wrists, Kuroko sent the ball straight into Moriyama's hands. The third years were shocked. Moriyama then made the shot, surprised at the ball suddenly appearing in _his_ hands.

"Kise, what was that?" Moriyama asked.

"It was a pass to you Moriyama-senpai." Kuroko answered in-a-matter-of-factly.

"But it went right into his hands!" Kasamatsu said in shock.

"That's the point."

"Huh?"

"My intention was to take the opponents team off-guard. With a fast pass from Kasamatsu-senpai, and I immediately redirected it to Moriyama-senpai who was already getting into his shooting position, they won't know where the ball went until it's the air about to enter the net."

"But Kise, you passed it perfectly into my hands. That's not normal." Moriyama said, looking at his hands in disbelief.

"My teacher is a passing specialist. Of course he taught me well." Kuroko shrugged. "Well, he still is."

"That was incredible Kise." Kasamatsu complimented. "Your timing was perfect."

"What can I say? Kuroko is teaching me well." He smiled.

What the boys didn't notice was the coach was watching them. He was already curious as to why 'Kise' had asked for Moriyama. He had cracked open the door slightly, and was watching. When he saw what 'Kise' did, he was more than awestruck.

"With Kise, Inter-High should be interesting." He smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	10. The Photoshoot

Chapter 10

...

Practice went without a hitch, Kise decided to be quiet this time around. During practice, he didn't talk unless someone asked him something, he didn't tease Kagami any at all; instead, he tried his best to be Kuroko but he had another agenda. He watched the team closely. He watched their every move, every turn; every shot made, every drive, everything. It then made him realize something, he had a lot of work to do with Seirin, and he didn't want Kuroko to outdo him either. He sighed.

"You okay, Kuroko?" Kagami asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" he answered. The two were sitting in Maji's at the usual spot, Kise sipping on a vanilla milkshake that Kagami bought for him. In fact, Kise had never tasted Maji's vanilla milkshake before. However, tasting the beverage, Kise felt like he fell in love. _No wonder Kurokocchi loves these shakes!_ Kise rocked in his seat from his joy. Kagami looked at him with wonder.

"Kuroko, are you sure that you're alright?" he asked.

"Yes, Kagami-kun."

"Ever since this week started you've been off. You're a little more talkative, you _tease_ me, which is something that you never did. And sometimes, you stare at the team like you're a vulture waiting to devour its prey or something."

"Kagami-kun, you're overreacting." Kise said taking a sip of his shake. He wanted to laugh, seeing the taller boy's expression. "But to call me a vulture who wants to devour its prey? Seriously?"

"No I'm not!" he fumed. "You haven't seen yourself. It's as though your gaze would pierce into the depths of my soul."

"Of course ―" he broke off as he felt Kuroko's phone vibrate within his pocket. When he flipped it open, he saw that it was a call coming in from the other boy. He answered.

"Hello."

" _Kise-kun, I need you."_ Kuroko's voice on the other side of the line sounded frantic.

"What? What's the matter?" Kise asked as his voice rose a little. Hearing Kuroko use that tone made him worry.

" _I have a photoshoot in two hours! I don't know where the studio is, I don't even know how to model, nothing!"_

Then it hit Kise. He was told about this photoshoot last Friday, the day _before_ he woke up in Kuroko's body. And because of it, he had completely forgotten. "Fuck!" he shouted. Kagami jumped and clutched the area at his heart. Kise then stood up from the seat, "Don't worry, I'm on my way."

" _Alright,"_ Kuroko seemed to have calmed down a little. When Kise flipped the phone closed, he raked a hand through his hair.

"How could I have forgotten!?" he completely ignored Kagami, who could only stare on with shock. He then turned for the exit but then remembered that he and Kagami were sitting together. Quickly, he reverted to being Kuroko. "I've got to go Kagami-kun, it's urgent. See you Monday." He said in a monotone.

"Ah, yeah. Aren't you going to carry your milkshake?"

"Thanks." He took the milkshake and dashed out of the restaurant. Kagami could only look on in shock. He'd never heard Kuroko curse, hell, anytime _he_ cursed, the other boy would tell him to watch his language.

Kagami blinked.

He then stared.

He blinked again.

"Holy shit," he said to himself. "Kuroko has a split personality."

_xxxx_

Kise ran to the station, hoping to catch the train to Kanagawa. He had thought that things couldn't have gotten any worse but, this time it's definitely a disaster. He silently prayed that he'll make it in time, so that he could at least give Kuroko couple instructions. But then again, it all depends on how fast Kuroko learns.

"Ah shit," Kise sighed. "This photo shoot is not going to go well, at all." He managed to catch the train, and when he sat in his seat, he wondered what he could teach Kuroko for the shoot. He was drawing blanks. Kuroko was stone-faced, blunt, in essence, he lacked expressions. Kise wondered what he could do to draw them out. After a couple minutes, the train reached its destination. Without hitch, Kise got up and dashed through the doors.

On the way, he dialed his original phone number, wanting to know if Kuroko was still at Kaijou or if he had gone home. Luckily after two rings, the phone picked up.

"I just came off a train. Where are you?"

" _I'm at home, looking through your photo books._ "

"Ah good. I'll be there shortly." With that Kise picked up his pace, almost ended up running. Within a couple of minutes, he reached home, and dashed up the stairs to his former room. He saw Kuroko sitting in the middle of the bed, with innumerable amounts of photo books opened all around him.

"That was fast Kise-kun," Kuroko said as he stared blankly at Kise.

"Of course! My job is on the line here!" he retorted as he made his way to the bed. "I can't believe that I had forgotten."

"Well since you have to be learning a whole new style of basketball and teaching me as well, add to that, we're not in our correct bodies...then yes, you can forget." Kuroko said.

"But this is my _job._ I ―"

"Don't worry. We're going to this shoot and I'll do well."

Kise snorted. "This isn't like basketball where you're already familiar with the workings. This is something that you'd be required to show emotions and expressions…" he saw Kuroko flinch, "…can you handle that?"

"Whether or not I can handle it, I have to do it for you."

Kise smiled at the statement, and motioned for Kuroko to get up. He then dragged him in front of the mirror. After, he went into his closet and took out a black jacket which had an intricate design on the back. He then threw it to Kuroko who looked at it questioningly.

"Put that on," he began; he then took up his phone and waved it in front of his face. "You'll be modelling that jacket. You need to show off the design on the back, and you need to make it look appealing, convince people to wear it with your poses."

Kuroko's face paled. "Seriously?"

"Yes, now we don't have much time. Try it. I'll be the photographer." He grinned. "Go on."

Kuroko put on the jacket and stood before the mirror. He was lost as to what to do. _How do I show off the design at the back without looking stupid?_ Kuroko thought. In his opinion, this was harder than basketball. Seeing how Kuroko hadn't made a single move, Kise felt sorry for the boy.

"Kurokocchi, be creative! Think of a unique way that you could show off the jacket without seeming plain and boring. "

"A unique way, huh." Kuroko said as he stroked his chin. Strangely, an idea popped into his head, and he immediately thought of basketball. His passing style was extremely unique so he thought that maybe he could try using a basketball in his pose. After all, he was dressed casually.

"Kise-kun, can I use a basketball?"

"Ah, sure you can." A smile played at Kise's lips as he wondered what the boy would be doing. When he gave Kuroko the ball, he saw Kuroko turn his back to him, and had the ball in his right hand. Kise then saw Kuroko looked over his left shoulder at him, and then he threw the ball in the direction of the door. At that moment, the camera flashed. Kuroko heard the 'shutter' sound.

"Not bad Kurokocchi," Kise smiled. "Seriously, for your first try, that wasn't bad at all."

"Thanks,"

"But, Kurokocchi, you have to have a good amount of poses stockpiled before you enter the shoot."

Hearing Kise say that, Kuroko looked like he just saw a ghost. "What?"

"Yep," Kise grinned childishly, "the photographer constantly takes pictures without stopping. After one pose, then you go straight into another. Then, they'll choose which ones are the best."

"That's brutal."

"Nope, it's fun!"

"Kise-kun, please remember who's in your body." Kuroko deadpanned.

"I know," he replied. "Now let's get modelling!"

Kuroko groaned.

_xxxx_

The two boys entered through the revolving doors, Kuroko was amazed by the quietness of the building. He'd thought that in a modelling agency there'd be at least some form of chatter or something, but it's completely peaceful. Kise then nudged Kuroko and tilted his head in the direction of the receptionist. Kuroko knew what this meant. Together, they walked over to her, Kuroko showed her his I.D. after which she motioned to the elevator.

"Umm, I'll be bringing a friend along with me as well."

"Which friend?" she asked.

"That's me." Kise spoke up.

"Eek!" the woman almost jumped out of her skin. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

"I'm used to it." Was all Kise could reply. He then walked off with Kuroko following. When they entered the elevator, Kuroko exhaled a breath.

"Kise-kun, I am nervous."

"Don't be. If you are, then the shoot won't go well."

"I can't help it."

"I believe in you Kurokocchi, since I'll be there, just look at me. That may help with the nervousness."

"Alright,"

"One final tip, anything they tell you to model, do poses that will draw attention to the object that you're modelling. And please, don't forget to involve expressions."

Then the elevator door opened revealing a large room. Kuroko could see lights positioned at almost every angle, and in front of the lights was a slate coloured wall, he deduced that's where he would be standing to pose. His stomach flipped. What made it worse, there were so many people in the room, and to know that they'll all be staring at him...he then placed a hand on Kise's shoulder and squeezed it. The shorter boy looked up at him.

"Kise-kun, I'm nauseous." Kuroko said clutching his stomach. "I think I'm going to vomit."

"Calm down. _Kise Ryouta_ does not do such an unsightly thing as vomiting." Kise replied. He then smiled at the taller boy, "Remember what I told you and you should be fine."

"I'll try to do my best." The two walked further in the room, and then once spotted, a male rushed to him.

"Kise-kun!" the man called. He was as tall as Kuroko with black hair and warm green eyes. "We need you in the dressing room immediately!" he grabbed Kuroko by the arm, and pulled him towards a door that was at the top right corner of the room. Kuroko didn't let go of Kise's shoulder, so he was also dragged to the dressing room.

When Kuroko entered the dressing room, he was amazed. To the left of the room was a long rack filled different clothing and beside it was another rack, which had fedora hats of varying colours. Kuroko sighed. He then looked to the right and saw a rectangular mirror, in front of a black swivel chair.

"Come Kise-kun, we need to get you ready." The man said to him. Kise pushed Kuroko in the back, urging him to go forwards.

"Kurokocchi!" Kuroko called out to Kise who had a smirk on his face. It was then that the man realized that Kise was there. He made the most unmanly yelp the two boys has ever heard, Kise had to fight down a snicker.

"Who ― how long have you been there?"

"I've been here the whole time." Kise deadpanned. "I came with Kise-kun." The man then looked at Kuroko. He nodded in agreement and the man was left speechless.

Gathering himself, he then introduced himself, "I'm Yoshino Takeshi, Kise-kun's manager."

"A pleasure to meet you Yoshino-san." Kise said with a bow, "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Ah," he nodded. _So polite!_ Kuroko had already gone to change, and a female gave him the first outfit that he would model. After a couple of minutes, he emerged, fully clothed, but Kise couldn't miss the terrified look he had on his face.

But apart from that, Kise had to admit that Kuroko looked absolutely dashing. He wore a black fedora hat and a yellow dress shirt with the first two buttons undone. Kuroko had cuffed the shirt's sleeves to meet his elbows; below, he wore black pants and black shoes. On his right wrist, there was a silver watch; Kise couldn't see the brand from where he was.

"Looking good as always Kise-kun," the female complimented.

"Thank you." Kuroko replied. From what Kuroko could tell was that she was the make-up artist but he didn't know her name. He mentally cursed Kise for not telling him. He went and sat in the chair, and immediately, she went to work. As soon as the brush met his skin, Kuroko felt uncomfortable. He then looked across to Kise and saw that the boy was smiling at him with thumbs up. _I hope I get back my body soon, I can't live like this._ Kuroko thought. But luckily, he didn't need to sit in the chair long. After all, he always thought that Kise's skin was too flawless to be real.

After a minute, he was ready for the shoot. With every step Kuroko took, his legs were shaking, his palms were sweaty. Kise was beside him, trying to calm him down by gently rubbing his back. He kept chanting 'don't worry you'll do fine' and 'I believe in you Kurokocchi' to Kuroko. It worked _to an extent_ but the rest was up to Kuroko.

Finally, they were back in the large room, and Kuroko made his way to the set. Kise sat on a stool which was close to the photographer, the man didn't even notice him. Not that Kise minded.

"Alright Kise-kun, let's go!"

Kuroko froze on the spot. He stared at the lights for what seemed like an eternity to him, unable to even smile.

"Kise-kun. Kise-kun. Kise-kun!" Yoshino called out to the blond. Kuroko snapped back to reality and realized that they were all waiting on him. "Come back to reality and do your job!"

"I'm very sorry," he said with a bow. "I just..."

"Ryou-chan, you can do it! Don't let training tire you out now!" Kise winked at him. The photographer and almost everyone on set jumped from the shock.

"When did he get there?!"

"Oh? Me? I've been here the whole time." He replied nonchalantly. He then looked in Kuroko's direction, "You see, Ryou-chan's just coming from a gruelling training session from Kaijou, that's why he's spacing out so much." Kise said. It wasn't a _complete_ lie, since they had a little free time before the shoot. Kise himself knew just how brutal the coach and Kasamatsu could be...it's probably worse since Inter-High begins in roughly one week.

Looking at Kise, Kuroko's eyebrow twitched. _Ryou-chan? If he thinks that I'll ever call him that when I get back my body, then he's making a sad mistake._ However, he had to admit that it lightened up his mood a little bit. Inhaling and exhaling a deep breath, he was ready. He was ready to strike those poses and embrace those camera flashes.

"I see," Yoshino said with a nod. He remembered a time when Kise came to work looking half dead. He shuddered at the memory. "It's understandable."

"Ano, I'm ready everyone." Kuroko said. Kise gave him a thumbs up, and mouthed 'you can do it'.

They were working with the _summer_ theme since the season was right around the corner. Not only had he had to model the clothes but the accessories as well. For this first shoot, he had to model a silver Rolex watch along with his clothes. Getting into position, Kuroko smiled at the camera.

It flashed.

Then, he placed his right hand on the hat, seeming as though he was pulling it downwards to hide his face. Kise grinned. He knew that with this pose, it would direct people's eyes straight towards the watch on his wrist and the hat on his head. _You're learning quite fast, Kurokocchi._

"That's it Kise-kun, keep it up." The photographer said. Kuroko nodded. He then pushed his hands into his pockets and slightly titled his chin upwards. The camera went off once again. Following Kise's instructions, he hadn't taken his eyes off the boy, and to make it better, he was seated right beside the photographer. He could look at Kise all he wants and it would still seem as though he's looking in the camera.

With his left hand in his pocket, he looked slightly to the right, placing his thumb on his bottom lip seeming as though he was wiping something off. The look in his eyes was absolutely sultry.

The camera flashed.

"G-go-gorgeous!" Kise shouted while stuttering. He sounded like one of his fangirls. He held out Kuroko's phone, and took a picture of that pose. Kuroko smiled at Kise's comment, and went into his next pose.

_xxxx_

For the second time, Kuroko went into the dressing room; his next set of clothing was already prepared. He headed to change and within a few minutes, he was dressed. He wore a white shirt underneath a forest green cardigan and blue jeans. Around his neck was a silver chain with a pendant at the end of it.

He walked onto the set without fear; Yoshino could see the difference in attitude. The first shoot 'Kise' had seemed a bit nervous but now he seemed as though he could move a mountain. Kise would not miss that either. The now blue-haired boy kept smiling, glad at Kuroko's improvements and that he'd still have a job. But then he noticed something else...the first button was open. He wondered if Kuroko had deliberately done this, but he quickly dismissed it as he couldn't figure out a reason. When Kuroko looked at the photographer, he mouthed 'I'm ready' to him.

The photographer nodded and went into position to snap the picture. At this moment, Kuroko buttoned the shirt...the camera flashed. Kise took his own picture as well, but at the same time, he was amazed. Kuroko chose to do that as he knew that it would make persons eye the cardigan.

The next pose he made he chose to make it simple. He folded both arms while putting one foot on the wall behind him, bracing on the wall behind him. The photographer took the picture. Everyone in the room had smiles on their faces; all nervousness had long been erased out of Kuroko. The boy went through two more poses, all of which were not bad. Kise felt like he might explode from joy.

The last pose he did, Kuroko decided to sit on a stool. However, while he was seated, he held the pendant in such a way that it seemed as though he was absentmindedly playing with it. Kise let out a squeal of delight as both he and the photographer took pictures.

"Alright, that's it for now, Kise-kun." Yoshino said to Kuroko. Kuroko looked confused. If he was going to model why did they have so many clothes on the rack?

"Has anybody seen Yamamoto-kun?" a short female with brown hair asked loudly.

"He should be here already!" shouted a man with brown hair.

"But if he isn't here, who's going to model with Kise-kun?"

Hearing that, Kuroko immediately froze. He looked at Kise who simply shrugged his shoulders. Kuroko then turned to Yoshino and asked,

"What's going on?"

"Ah, both you and Yamamoto-kun were supposed to do a shoot together, but it seems that he's not here as ―" he broke off as the door opened.

"He's not coming!" a panting young man entered the room, with a phone at his ears. "He...won't be able...to make it today." He was surely out of breath. But Kise wondered why and there was an elevator.

The room then fell into silence. Kuroko inwardly jumped for joy, as he knew that he wasn't prepared to model with a stranger.

"Oh," he heard Kise say. "How could he not come? It doesn't sound like he's sick...why?" Somehow, to Kuroko, Kise sounded a bit sad. When he looked to the boy, he could see it in his eyes. He then realized what it was. That Yamamoto guy isn't coming while Kise was stuck in his body and unable to do his job. Kuroko felt something rising in his chest. Then without thinking, he held onto Yoshino's shoulder.

"I know someone who can fill that spot."

Yoshino's eyes widened, "who might that be? What's their number?" he took out his phone out of his pocket and held it in Kuroko's face.

"There's no need for that. He's right here." He then pointed a finger in Kise's direction. "He loves modelling a lot and would like to try it out. Would you be willing to give him a try?" Kuroko asked in the most polite way he could muster. Kise on the other hand was shocked. He wanted to speak out but there wasn't a single sound coming out of his mouth.

"Well then, if that's the case, let's go Kuroko-kun!" Yoshino smiled to the blue-haired boy. "Everyone! The shoot will continue, we will be using this boy here!" with those words, he pulled him into the dressing room with Kuroko following behind them.

After a while, both Kise and Kuroko emerged from the dressing room, Kise was happily humming to himself, he wanted to bust with joy but he couldn't do that while in Kuroko's body. When they had made it out, they noticed that the set had changed.

To one side, there was a restaurant and bar with a luscious interior of gilded seats and stained glass window art. There was a counter set behind the seats with various bottles of wine ordered neatly on the shelf. There were cups there, placed on the table that was to the left side of the seats. To the other side, there was a rooftop bar and terrace with what seems to be a view of the Skytree.

"They work fast." Kuroko said, astounded at what was before him. "They completely transformed the set."

"Well, they're experts at this." Kise replied. Yoshino then ushered the boys closer to the set and upon looking at them, there were claps of approval.

"You boys look stunning!" one man shouted. "Marvellous!"

"Thank you very much," Kise and Kuroko bowed respectfully. Kise was in a plain black jacket and a crystal buttoned shirt and white dinner trousers with a gold Raymond Weil watch on his left wrist, while Kuroko was in a metallic dinner jacket and trousers with a white t-shirt underneath the jacket. Around his neck was a black silk knit scarf. They then walked onto the set but before the photographer could begin, Kise took _his_ phone looked in Kuroko's direction.

"Kurokocchi," he whispered.

"Yes?"

"Could we take a few pictures before the shoot?" he looked at Kuroko with pleading eyes. The taller boy wanted to refuse but with those eyes...he found all his willpower crumbling. _I can't believe that my own body can be such a dangerous weapon...and it's even more dangerous with Kise controlling it._ Kuroko thought.

"Alright, we can take a couple." He finally succumbed.

"Yay!" Kise then pushed Kuroko closer to the counter and then he moved beside him so that they were leaning on it. He then dragged the taller boy down so that their cheeks would be touching. He snapped one picture. However, unbeknownst to them, so did the photographer. The next picture they took, Kise decided that Kuroko should choose a pose, and the boy wondered just what did he agree to.

Kuroko sighed. He then took up one of the bottles, and held it with his left hand in front of both him and Kise. He then placed his right arm around Kise's waist as if he had placed it around his shoulder (where he had wanted to) it would have made it difficult for Kise to take the picture.

As for Kise, he was overflowing with joy. Every bone in his body wanted to jump and scream but he couldn't...not here. He had so much joy build up that once he reached home (if he managed to hold out long) he'd let everything out. A slight blush had reached on his face when he felt Kuroko's arm around his waist. What is more, the taller boy had leaned slightly downwards, resting his cheek on his temple.

"You can take the picture now Kise-kun." He said in his ear.

"Huh?" Kise looked up at Kuroko and that's when the photographer took another picture. Kise came out of his daze and with a smile that almost turned into a grin, snapped the picture. When he had lowered the phone, Yoshino spoke,

"Are you done now boys?"

"Yes Sir!" they both replied.

"Here's what you'll do. As you can see, it's a party set and I want both of you to look lively, like you're enjoying the party."

"We can do it!" Kise said. Kuroko only nodded from beside him.

"Good, now let's get modelling!"

Kuroko had taken a seat and took up one of the cups. He held it close to his face, seeming as though he would've drank the contents. Kise then placed his right hand on Kuroko's left shoulder while his other hand had a cup as well. This action caused Kuroko to look up at Kise, who was smiling at him. He returned the smile, and the photographer took the picture.

In the next picture, Kise was sitting on the top of the counter while Kuroko was behind it. Neither had any cup nor bottle, but they seemed to be engaged in a conversation. Kuroko leaned on the table with his chin in his palm, seeming like he said 'Ahh' as though in realization of something. Kise on the other hand, he had turned slightly in Kuroko's direction, with his right hand bracing on the counter while his left hand was going through a series of gestures.

Before they took the third picture they had to change their outfits. Kise wore a white dress shirt underneath a peach vest with matching pants and brown shoes while Kuroko wore a royal blue shirt with a white bow tie and white pants. His shoes were a deep blue like his shirt.

Kuroko had his right side turned in the photographer's direction and in his right his hand was a cup which he placed at his mouth to seem like he was drinking the contents. He looked directly in front of him with an unreadable expression. Kise was beside him on his left but he was faced in the photographer's direction but he looked in the same direction as Kuroko. In his left hand, he held his cup as well, but it was away from his mouth as he pointed his pinkie finger. He seemed to have said something to Kuroko as the taller boy was slightly leaned downwards to him.

They then took a couple more pictures in those outfits.

"That's good boys!" the photographer said. "Now, onto the next part of the set."

The boys headed to the dressing room once more and changed as quickly as they could. They both wore satin suits; Kuroko's own was black with a printed satin shirt underneath his open jacket. Kise's own was white but unlike Kuroko, he had buttoned his jacket. When they returned, they headed towards the other set; Kise held Kuroko's hand and pulled him as he walked to the sofa.

The two then sat down beside each other, Kise sat backwards and placed his hand around Kuroko's shoulder. Kuroko sat forwards, his elbows on his thighs with his chin on the back of his hand. Both boys looked directly in the camera, having triumphant looks on their faces.

They then changed their pose, Kise still sat backwards but this time he placed both his feet on the table before him, while Kuroko stood with his back turned to Kise. Kuroko then looked slightly over his shoulder at Kise as the other boy looked up at him with a smug expression.

Everyone present had looks of amazement. The two boys had so much chemistry on set that Yoshino had a hard time believing that one of them never modelled before in his life. _They're brilliant!_ Yoshino had thought. Even the photographer was appalled at the quality of these shots. As they changed their poses, the photographer took the pictures.

_xxxx_

Kuroko slumped down in his chair. He was relieved that this whole ordeal was over, but what he found strange was that once he had gotten use to it, he felt like he was having fun. Which he did. He had even more fun when Kise was modelling with him. He could tell that Kise had had fun as well; he could see the happiness beaming out of him.

"Kurokocchi, you did well today." Kise said with a smile. "Honestly, I first thought that it would've ended in a disaster."

"Well, aren't you honest?" Kuroko said.

"But you surprised me. For a while, I could feel your boldness and fearlessness emanating from your body in waves."

"That's very descriptive, _Ryou-chan._ " Kuroko teased. Even though Kuroko had said to himself that he would never call Kise that, he had a change of heart. After all that they've been through so far, he decided that the boy deserved it.

Kise paused.

Slowly, his eyes lit up and with a squeal, he lunged at Kuroko and enveloped the boy in a bear hug. For the first time, Kuroko returned the hug, it's a pity he couldn't see Kise's face…the boy was about to overload.

But then that moment was cut short when the door opened. It was Kise's ―er ― Kuroko's manager.

"Thank you for today Kuroko-kun," Yoshino said as he entered the dressing room.

"Oh, it's not a problem at all." Kise replied. He was trying as hard as possible to contain his joy.

"I'm here for two things actually." He then closed the door behind him with a soft click, and his face took on a more serious look. He then took a seat on the table in front of the mirror and folded his arms. "Firstly, Kise-kun, you have another photo shoot next Wednesday at three o'clock."

"I got it." Kuroko replied with a nod.

"Secondly, it's about Kuroko-kun. I would like him to sign a contract with us."

When Yoshino said that, Kuroko was shocked while Kise was about to burst with joy. But then, he remembered their predicament. He frowned.

"I…" Kise began; he wanted to agree so badly, but…

"He'll be glad to." He heard Kuroko say. He whipped his head to the side so fast, as he couldn't believe his ears. Kuroko then looked at him, "Aren't you, Kurokocchi?"

"Yes, yes I am." Kise said, looking as though he would tear up any moment. "But, could you be my manager as well? I feel at ease around you."

Yoshino grinned. "That can be arranged." He then got up and walked up to the door, "Could you stop by after you've asked your parents?"

"Yes, I will." Kise said.

"Great, I'll take my leave." The door closed behind him and Kuroko sighed.

"When I was looking through your photo books, I could see the happiness in your eyes. At that moment I realized that you truly loved modelling. I couldn't take that away from you, whether or not we're in each other's body." Kuroko said. "Plus, it's fun. I like it."

Kise couldn't fight it anymore. Comic tears streamed down his face, and once more he lunged at Kuroko and held him in a crushing hug. "I love you Kurokocchi! I love you so much!"

"I've known that since middle school, _Ryou-chan._ " At that, Kuroko knew that he was catching the 'Kise Syndrome' when he called him with a cute nickname for the second time and he didn't mind doing it.

"Let's celebrate Tetsucchi!" Kise jumped up and pulled the boy towards the door.

"Wait, _Tetsucchi_?" Kuroko asked.

"Yep! I mean, we're in each other's body, we know next to everything about each other, so why not?" Kise said. "We're best friends, aren't we?"

"More like self-proclaimed." Kuroko muttered.

"So mean!" Kise pouted.

Every time Kise pouted, Kuroko felt his breath hitch. Controlling himself, he then said with a chuckle, "But I suppose it's fine, since we're in each other's body and all."

"Let's go, I don't know if it's your body or me but I'm really craving a vanilla milkshake."

"It's both."

They left the room, one destination on both their minds, Maji Burgers.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	11. Inter-High Preliminaries: Seirin vs. Shinkyo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title states, Inter-High starts, conversion with canon begins here but bear in mind that there are some things that may differ slightly from the canon due to plot.

Chapter 11

...

" _Ryou-kun," Kuroko called._

" _Hmm?" Kise answered. "Why did stop calling me 'Ryou-chan'?"_

" _I got over the 'Kise Syndrome'."_

" _What?"_

" _Anyway, listen. This is about Inter-High." Kuroko said. Kise nodded and kept quiet. "Your first match will be against Shinkyo Academy. They have a player from Senegal that's two_ _metres_ _tall called…" Kuroko paused. "…well I named him Dad."_

_Kise snickered. "What kind of naming sense is that Tetsucchi?" but then he got serious, "Two_ _metres_ _? Is he as wide as Murasakibaracchi? If so, then we'd be ―"_

" _He can't even be compared to Murasakibara-kun." Kuroko deadpanned._

" _Ah, good." Kise said as he fell on the bed. "Then there's nothing to worry about."_

" _Yeah, what about Kaijou?"_

" _Ah, first match is against Yokohama Gakuen. They aren't that much of a trouble. They've got height and power but that's about it. Kaijou would be fine even if you don't play."_

" _Alright, thanks." Kuroko smiled. "Now let's get some sleep."_

" _You should smile more often, Tetsucchi. You're quite the prince charming when you do." Kise teased._

" _B-B-Be quiet."_

_xxxx_

The new school week began, but for every high school basketballer, one thing was on their minds. Inter-High Preliminaries. This was the week before Inter-High; many schools were in top gear, going through rigorous training regimens.

At Seirin, Kagami was training with Mitobe, trying to improve his defense, since they would be playing Shinkyo Academy, who has an extremely tall transfer student. Hyuuga was practicing his shots; Kise and Izuki were running though the passes and so on.

On Tuesday, they had road-runs to test their stamina and strengthen their legs.

On Wednesday, Kise didn't go to practice as he accompanied Kuroko to his photoshoot and he had one as well. He told Riko that he had an 'appointment'.

Thursday, Riko had them doing sprints and sit-ups, and by Friday they were doing a combination of the training of previous days.

At Kaijou, training was brutal since it was crunch time. On Monday, Kuroko and the entire Kaijou team had to endure sprint training and what made it worse, Kise had given him weights to put on as well. For the first few minutes he was struggling, but after he had gotten used to it, he found that it wasn't so bad.

Tuesday, Kuroko had to go through endurance and shooting training. The team had to run multiple laps around the school, but in addition to that, when they returned to the gym and did shooting training, for every shot missed, they would have to run five laps around the school. Kuroko suffered.

Wednesday, Kuroko had been excused to attend his and Kise's photoshoot.

Thursday and Friday they had practice matches, none of which Kuroko participated in as according to the coach, 'if he went in, it wouldn't be a match anymore'.

However, during the week, both morning and evening, the two boys would train together. On Mondays, they would only strengthen their arms and legs, along with improving their timing for sprints. On Tuesday, Kise taught Kuroko some more moves that he copied from watching the Teikou matches. On Wednesday evening, they had a one-on-one match, which ended up in Kise winning…not that Kuroko was bad. He lost by just one basket. Thursday, they decided to involve Kasamatsu in their morning jogs and evening runs as well. Since Friday morning would be the last that Kise would be in Kanagawa, they decided to not have any training, but use that morning to have casual talks.

On Friday evening, Kise was bawling his eyes out as he had to go to Kuroko's home as the two weeks was up. Both Ruiko and Reiko had to be consoling him, but it didn't change a thing.

Then it was the day of Inter-High Preliminaries.

Kise made his way to Seirin, where he met up with rest of the team. He decided not to call out to them as he loved seeing their expressions of shock. However, when he saw Kagami's eyes, he almost bust with laughter. It was evident that he didn't sleep, and Kise was lucky that they hadn't noticed his presence. He stood a little far off from the rest of the team, and with his head turned away from them, he laughed. Not out loud like he would have wanted, but it was more like a low chuckle.

"Hey, you hear that?" Furihata asked. He was around Tsuchida.

"Hear what?" the older boy asked.

"Someone chuckling," they then looked in Kise's direction and saw his shoulders shaking. Quietly, they walked over to the boy and Furihata placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Kuroko?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kise said as he doubled his lips to fight down the laughter.

"Well, then, let's group-up with the rest." Tsuchida said. The trio walked towards the group, Kagami was standing with Kawahara and Izuki, Fukuda was standing near Koganei and Mitobe. Hyuuga was up front with Riko.

"The gang's all here!" Riko said as she saw all her boys before her.

"Let's go!" Hyuuga shouted. By the time they walked off, Kagami had ended up beside Kise, and his face was killing the poor boy. He couldn't help but look up at the redhead.

"You couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Sh-shut up." Kagami retorted.

Inter-High Preliminaries – Game One Seirin vs. Shinkyo Academy.

Both teams were on the court warming up, but in the middle of it, Hyuuga noticed something.

"Dad doesn't seem to be here." He said aloud.

That caused Izuki to turn around and look as well, "Now that you mention it…"

As if on cue, they heard a loud 'Ouch,'. They stopped what they were doing to find the source of the sound. There was the tall Senegalese player with his face at the top of the door jam.

"Everything is so short in Japan." He grumbled.

"He's huge!" Koganei said, "And kind of…long."

They saw him make his way to his coach and another boy went to him. Just then, Hyuuga's basketball rolled up to the boy, and he went after it.

"Oh sorry," Hyuuga said.

"By the way, did you guys really beat Kaijou?" the boy asked.

"It was just a practice game."

"I see," he was the captain of Shinkyo – Tanimura Yusuke. "I guess the Generation of Miracles isn't as strong as we thought."

"The Generation of Miracles lost? They brought me here to beat them." Papa shrugged his shoulders, "I'm disappointed that they're so weak." He then walked off, but as soon as he did so, he bumped something…he couldn't see what it was or rather, _who_ it was.

When he looked around, he still didn't see Kise but then he looked down. There Kise was, staring up at him. Papa then took him up under the arm and held him up. This only added fuel to fire that was already burning within him. Kise summed up every ounce of energy to not punch the boy in his face. He knew Kuroko wouldn't have done that.

"No little boy, children shouldn't be on the court." Papa said to him. Suddenly, a mysterious breeze whipped up and exposed Kise's jersey from beneath the white shirt. Kise's anger was almost boiling over. "You're a player?" Papa asked as he put him down. Kise continued to stare. "Hmph. They lost to a child like him? Are all the Generation of Miracles children?" Meanwhile, the Seirin was laughing and snickering at the sight. Kise was pissed ― er ― livid would be a better word.

"Honestly, I'm starting to get annoyed." He said, trying to keep Kuroko's reputation. They stopped laughing. Kagami got up off the floor and said,

"You don't like to lose do you?" he said as he took off his shirt. "I guess we'd better show Dad why he shouldn't piss off kids."

"I'll show that bastard oblivion." Kise mumbled to himself while seething with rage. Kagami flinched when he heard him, but even more so, when he looked closer to the boy, he could see the dark aura emanating from his small body. _I was right, and now Dad has drawn him out._

They then lined up, the referee's announcing, "Let the game between Seirin High school and Shinkyo Academy begin."

"Let's play a good game!"

Both teams got into position, preparing for the tip-off. As the tallest players for both their teams, Kagami and Papa faced each other for the tip-off. Unfortunately for Seirin, Papa got the ball due his height and reach. _Seriously? I don't believe it! Kagami lost to him in height!_ Hyuuga thought in shock.

 _Bastard,_ Kagami thought.

Papa passed the ball to Tanimura, who then passed it back to Papa who was close to the net. Kagami then ran to block him from shooting. Papa then jumped to shoot the ball, leaving Kagami puzzled. _A jump fade without faking? He's mocking me!_ The redhead then jumped to block him but as Papa shot the ball, it went over his fingers and into the net.

 _H-he's huge!_ Was Kagami's thought.

"Too easy," Papa smirked as he ran back to defend.

"Don't worry about it. Let's get it back." Hyuuga said as he threw the ball to Izuki. He then passed the ball to Mitobe and moved to block Tanimura from Hyuuga. Mitobe then passed the ball to the clutch shooter who was free at the three-point line.

"I got this!" he said as he shot the ball. However, Papa jumped and caught the ball. "Seriously?!" _He can reach that? What can't he defend?_ Seeing what was happening on court, Furihata and Kawahara looked on with a tinge of sadness.

"This is ridiculous." Furihata said.

"Having a foreign student isn't fair." Kawahara added.

Hearing the conversation of the two first years, Tanimura stopped to address Hyuuga. "Are you one of those hard-working teams?"

"What?"

"We see a lot of those. Guys saying it's not fair that we've got a foreign player." He then turned around completely to face Hyuuga. "We're not breaking any rules."

"Well, you _can_ have up to two of them on your team." Hyuuga replied.

"Right?" Tanimura continued. "What's wrong with getting strong players? It's real easy. All we have to do is pass the ball to him and we can't help but score."

Hyuuga then looked at him and placed a hand on his hip. "I don't know how easy it is, but if that's your policy then you'd better not complain."

"Huh?"

"Besides we've got our own ridiculous players. We didn't have to invite them, though."

"What?"

Kise had had enough. His eyebrow twitched in disgust at Papa and Tanimura. First they belittled Kaijou and the rest of the miracles and now they're behaving as though they're high and mighty because they have _one_ foreign player. He then walked over to Kagami when Hyuuga was conversing with Tanimura.

"Kagami-kun, we need to crush them." He said as calm as possible.

"Yeah, I know but Dad ―" he broke off as he felt eyes on his back. He jumped and turned around to see Mitobe looking at him with worried eyes. "I'll be fine." He said. He then moved off, heading to block Papa. He stopped in front of the Senegalese and went he was aiming for the net, Kagami jumped. The ball bounced off the rim of the net.

"He missed! Get the rebound!" Hyuuga yelled. Mitobe managed to get the ball and passed it.

For the next couple of shots, Papa had been missing the net. Even Tanimura was wondering what was happening. _His accuracy suddenly declined. What's going on?_

"It won't be so easy because Kagami-kun won't let Dad make his plays." Riko smiled.

"What plays?" Fukuda asked.

"Even if he can't reach, there's still a way. Mitobe-kun's way." She answered. "Since Mitobe-kun is a veteran when it comes onto defense, I made Kagami-kun train with him to learn how to stop someone bigger than him."

"Really?"

"Yes, blocking isn't the only way to stop a shot. You can make them miss by not letting them do what they want to or go where they want to."

With every turn that Papa made, there was Kagami, blocking him. Every time he made a shot, it rebounded badly off the rim. Even the audience was disappointed. Hearing the sneering comments,

 _Shut your mouths. There's tons of pressure on the court._ Tanimura said in his thoughts. _He can almost block him with those jumps. The intensity of his focus could kill._

"What's your problem?" Papa said to Kagami. He then shot the ball but it still missed. "What the hell is this? I'm pissed." He said.

"Don't let it get to you." Tanimura said, trying to calm him down. "He's not blocking you. Defense!" they then ran back.

"This method's stressful for me too." Kagami said with his left eyebrow twitching. _I've gotta take him down more directly than this. I'll do it!_ He thought as he made his way to Papa. Kise was standing beside Shinkyo's number seven, but he was using every bit of energy to not play like himself. He was itching to touch the ball, but he knew that it was Kuroko here, probably the same thing would've happened.

Kagami had reached up to Papa and said, "Hey, let me tell you two things." He began, "First, I'll block one of your shots in this game."

"There's no way you can do that. I will not lose to a team with a child on it."

"Second…" he then dashed off, going towards the net. Izuki received the ball and then passed it directly into Papa's direction. But Kise was there. _Lucky!_ Were the thoughts of the foreign student. However, as he was about to reach for the ball, Kise tapped the ball through his legs and into Kagami's waiting arms which dunked the ball. "…this kid might give you some trouble."

Kise felt like he was suffering, "Could you please stop calling me a child?!" he hated the fact that everyone was calling Kuroko a child.

Papa looked at Kagami in shock. _What? What just happened?_

"Let's get them back!" Tanimura said as he took the ball. He then passed the ball to number seven but before the ball could reach, Kise came in and stole it and sent it rocketing to net, where Kagami grabbed it and dunked.

"You're kidding! Who are these guys?" Papa said.

"Your worst nightmare," Kise smirked at him. Papa flinched and before he could say anything, Kise had ran back to defend.

"Seriously? They dunked the ball right after they stole it."

"That's two dunks in a row. This is still the first round of the preliminaries."

Back on the court, the Seirin team was heading back to defense.

 _That was amazing. Has Kuroko always been this good?_ Hyuuga thought. Unbeknownst to them, Kise was secretly plotting Shinkyo's destruction. "Are you really that mad about being called a kid?" Hyuuga then asked.

Kise stopped and turned to them, the look on his face made them flinch. "You have absolutely no idea." Just as they were heading to defend their net, the buzzer sounded signalling the end of the first quarter. The points were now Shinkyo eight and Seirin at twenty-three.

At Seirin's bench, Riko began addressing the team. She turned to Kise, "Kuroko-kun, since you have a time limit, so we're swapping you out here." Kise made no objections. He thought this would be a good chance to see Seirin in action without having to worry about anything.

Riko then continued, "Because we have to start preserving Kuroko-kun's strength, we'll lose some power during the mid-game, so don't let them close the point gap. They don't have dangerous players aside from Dad. Ultimately, it all comes down to how well Kagami-kun can handle Dad."

"Just leave it to me." He smirked.

The game continued with the ball going to Papa. And, Kagami was there to stop him. _I will not lose, I will win,_ that was Papa's thoughts as he shot the ball. Kagami had jumped to block but he ended falling before Papa could release it.

"He really is amazing," Izuki said.

"Has he gotten even taller?" Hyuuga asked.

"I'm serious now, I will not lose!" Papa said to Kagami.

"I couldn't ask for more." Kagami smirked. "I'm starting to get excited, Dad!"

The game continued, and Hyuuga had gotten a pass from Izuki. He shot the ball as fast as he could seeing that Tanimura was coming at him. _Shit, it's too short!_

Seeing the ball's trajectory, Kagami quickly moved in front of Papa to get the rebound.

"You bastard," Papa said. The ball rebound and they both reached for it. Thankfully, Kagami got it before Papa, and shot it.

"Okay, nice shot!" Kawahara cheered.

"Nice rebound!" Furihata joined in.

Kagami smirked at Papa, the taller player 'tsk'ed.

"Papa, don't let it bother you!" Tanimura said as he faced off with Izuki. "We'll give you the ball." He then passed the ball number six and then he passed over Hyuuga to Papa. He then took aim and Kagami jumped along with him. Seeing the intensity, in his shock, Papa passed to number seven.

"What's wrong Papa? You had that!" the ball was then passed once more to the Senegalese. "One more time Papa!"

He took the ball and tried to get pass Kagami but couldn't. He then took aim for the net. _Why? He's getting more and more…more and more tall?_ No matter how many times Papa got the ball and faced off with Kagami, he got blocked.

At the bench both Riko and Kise had noticed something about the redhead but neither said anything out loud. As the game continued, Kise decided that he'd keep an eye on Kagami instead of the whole team. There was something nagging him about the boy, and he had a feeling he'd soon find out.

"Kagami's amazing," Tsuchida said. "He's more than keeping him in check. He's not losing to him at all. Looks like his practice is paying off."

"But don't you think he's trying too hard?" Riko asked him. Hearing their conversation, Kise remembered what he had told Kuroko after their practice match. _Seems like I was right,_ he thought. Just then, Tanimura shot a three-pointer. Doing this, it led Shinkyo to fifty one while Seirin was on sixty. Seeing this, Riko decided to sub in 'Kuroko'. _We can't afford to cut this one close._ She then turned to him and asked, "Kuroko-kun, can you last five minutes?"

"Actually, I've been ready for a while."

"Sorry," she said as she stood up, "then go!"

Kise held down his head as he hid a savage grin on his face. Since it was the last quarter, he was more than ready to let Shinkyo face hell.

The moment he stepped in, all hell broke loose. Tanimura had the ball and was making a pass to number eight. Without hesitation, Kise jumped in and redirected the ball to Mitobe who was closest to the net and he smoothly sunk it. Number seven had then went to retrieve the ball and made a pass to Tanimura. He then dribbled a little further down the court and made a pass to number eight who then passed it to Papa. But the ball never reached him. Kise stole the ball and shot it to Hyuuga who landed a three.

For the rest of the match, the Shinkyo players hardly ever touched the ball.

"Damn it, there he is again." Number six said.

"What's going on with those passes?" Tanimura said frustrated.

"Don't let your guard down until it's over!" Hyuuga barked. "Let's get them!"

Further down court, Papa and Kagami were facing off. "No! I don't want to lose!" he caught the passed ball and took aim.

"You said you were disappointed in the Generation of Miracles, but you overestimate yourself!" Kagami said to him as he remembered his match with Kise. "Compared to you, they're way stronger!" he jumped to block the shot and this time he caught it. The buzzer then sounded, signalling the end of the match.

However, for Kise, he didn't hear it. His eyes were locked on Kagami. Seeing the jump, Kise had a theory what it was that Kagami had. _I'd have to test it out first._

The referee then blew his whistle. "Game over!" Seirin members cheered but unknown to them, up in the audience a certain green haired man was watching them. "Sixty-seven to seventy-nine, Seirin!"

There was a unison, "Thank you!" from both teams.

While Seirin were packing up, Papa walked over to Kagami.

"I lost." He began, "Please play hard for me in your next game."

"Huh? Uh, sure."

Papa's expression then changed, "I mean you're an idiot! An idiot!"

Kise's eyebrow twitched. Taking out Kuroko's phone he then sent a message to the other boy. But then, Tanimura came and dragged him away, while he was shouting "You moron, I won't lose next time!"

Kagami was furious, evidence of the huge vein that appeared on his cheek. Kise tried his best to keep a calm face, but inwardly, he wanted to strangle the boy.

"You'll live to regret that bastard." Kise mumbled. They then made their way out of the gym, heading home. When they had exited, Kagami looked around to see if 'Kuroko' was present. There was something that he wanted to talk to the team about but he didn't want the blue haired boy to be there.

Kise walked alongside Kagami, not knowing what the redhead was thinking. Honestly, he didn't care. He had a lot of pent-up anger that he needed to get rid of, and fast. Just then, felt Kuroko's vibrate. Flipping it open, he saw that it was a message from the other boy.

_Re: Shinkyo_

_I'll see what I can do. Who knows? Maybe the coach would agree to it. Anyway, we've got a match in fifteen minutes, I'll text you after._

Kise perked up. He then flipped the phone closed and touched Kagami.

"Kagami-kun," he called.

"What is it?"

"Tell the Coach I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?"

"To watch Kaijou's game." With that, he ran off, and actually, Kagami couldn't be more grateful.

"Coach, Captain."

"Hmm?" both answered.

"Kuroko's gone to watch Kaijou's game. He said we should go on without him."

"EHH? When did he leave?"

"Just a while ago." He answered. "There's something I want to talk to you about as well. Thank God he's gone." This earned him looks of confusion from the entire team. "I think Kuroko has a split personality."

"Ehh?!" was the unison outburst from the team.

"What made you think that he has a split personality?" Koganei asked.

"One Saturday after practice we went to Maji's," Kagami began, "after a while, he got a phone call; it sounded like it was serious…but what surprised me was that, not only did he curse, but he seemed like a totally different person. I was seeing Kuroko but at the same time, it wasn't him."

"Are you sure he has a split personality and not something else? You said it yourself, the phone call sounded serious so maybe ―"

"No. Didn't you see it in the match against Shinkyo?" Kagami then asked. "And plus, the Kuroko I know doesn't curse."

"I agree with Kagami. I've been noticing it as well. The Kuroko we know isn't always with us." Hyuuga joined in. "In the Shinkyo match, I must admit, Kuroko made me flinch couple times." He then shuddered. "He was scary."

"But a split personality? Isn't that bit extreme?" Tsuchida said.

"If it's not that then aliens have kidnapped him." Izuki said.

The boys then nodded in agreement. Riko however, shook her head.

"Kagami-kun, I think you're overreacting." She said.

"Wait until you've seen the other Kuroko. You'll be saying something different."

The group then continued on their journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	12. Inter-High Preliminaries: Kaijou vs. Yokohama Gakuen

Chapter 12

...

The court was devoid of chatter, only the sounds of the ball bouncing and the swish of the net were heard. On one side of the court were the Blue Elites of Kaijou and to the next there were the whites of Yokohama Gakuen. Both teams were warming up, but Kuroko felt uneasy. All of Yokohama's players' eyes were on him, and he knew that he would be a target in this match.

He then walked over to the bench and heard Kise's phone vibrating. Sliding his finger across the screen and unlocking it, he saw that it was a text message from the boy.

_Subject: Shinkyo_

_We won our match against Dad!_

_However, Dad said some mean things about the Generation of Miracles, me in particular, and Kaijou. He also called me-you a child! Could you believe that guy? So please, ask Coach Takeuchi to organize a practice match between you guys and them. And be sure to destroy them! Show them what hell would like when they die!_

_No one should call your body a child and get away with it!_

Many emotions ran through Kuroko after he read the message. He calmed himself down and quickly replied. After he did that, he quickly locked the screen and headed back onto the court. A couple more minutes passed and warm up time was over. While the starting five stood facing Yokohama, Kuroko and the others returned to the bench. Kaijou's starters were Kasamatsu, Moriyama, Kobori, Hayakawa and Nakamura.

When Kuroko looked at Yokohama's starters, he saw that they had height and judging by their build, power too. _Just like Ryou-kun said_. But one thing stood out, the confusion on their faces when they noticed that he wasn't starting. _They probably think that since I'm not there they're going to go full force to take this quarter._ Kuroko then leaned forward as the match began.

The referee threw the ball into the air, both Kobori and Number five jumped for the tip-off. It was a close one, but Kobori managed to get it to Kasamatsu. He then dribbled the ball until the Kaijou players got into position. Hayakawa was the furthest away, almost by the net, followed by Moriyama who was close to the three point line. Nakamura was at an angle away from Moriyama, while Kobori was in the same position as Nakamura on the other side of the court. But each of them had someone blocking them.

Kuroko watched game closely. Yokohama's defense wasn't bad, but it was annoying. Not only were the blockers huge but they were too close along with it. He saw Kasamatsu attempt to pass Number Four that was on him, but he found it difficult. However, he then passed the ball to Kobori, who made an overhead pass to Moriyama. He caught the ball and quickly went into his irregular form and made the shot.

While Kaijou was making their way back, Number six quickly took the ball, and threw it to Number four who then dribbled some more but was blocked by Kasamatsu. He then shifted to the right, Kasamatsu moved as well. As a matter of fact, he found it hard to pass the captain. Four then passed to Seven while Number Five had broke pass Hayakawa and was heading to Number Seven.

However, Hayakawa was quick enough to catch him back. Seven then passed to Five. When he received the ball, he attempted to go around Hayakawa. When Hayakawa blocked him, he faked to make a three. Knowing that Hayakawa isn't tall enough to block him, Kobori went for the block, while Hayakawa went to mark Number Nine. However, Five passed to Nine who made a three.

"Don't mind!" Kasamatsu shouted as he took the ball, "We'll get them back!" he then instructed the guys where to position themselves. When his defender came to block him, he remembered what Kuroko had taught him and bounced the ball between the boy's legs to Nakamura who then dribbled down court and then passed to Kobori. The centre was going for the shot when he saw Five and Four come up on him. He then passed to Moriyama who once more sunk another three.

Six went to retrieve the ball, and threw it to Four. He dribbled the ball up to the centre line and then passed to Seven who was on his left. He caught the ball, but Nakamura blocked him. Seven then passed the ball overhead to Five who, due to his height caught the ball with ease even though Hayakawa jumped as well. Quickly, Five passed to Nine with Six being in the middle.

Nine found it difficult to make a shot. Kobori's defense was good, so he ended up attempting to pass to Six. Kasamatsu stole the ball and then headed towards Yokohama's side of the court. He then chest pass the ball to Moriyama who then passed it to Nakamura that shot a three.

Kise had reached just as Moriyama made the shot. He then headed to a seat to take in the game. He was disappointed that they both had games on the same day, but nonetheless, he was glad that he'd get to see Kuroko in action. A smile graced his face, but it was soon gone as it appeared when he noticed that Kuroko was on the bench.

The game continued for the next couple minutes, Kaijou scoring the most points, but Yokohama was not far behind. Just like Kaijou, they put their shooting guards to good use, neither team letting up. Defense was good as well, Nakamura and Kobori blocked many shots and drives.

But as the match went into the second quarter, Kuroko had noticed something about Yokohama. So far he realized that Five was a centre, Seven was a point guard. Nine was a shooting guard that never goes beyond the three-point line in Kaijou's half of the court. That leaves Six and Four. He didn't know who was the power or small forward but Six specializes in rebounds…and he was damn good at it. Four could make shots and defend well but he wasn't as dangerous as Nine and Five.

It was a couple minutes left in the second quarter; Kaijou was at forty-three while Yokohama was at thirty eight. When he saw Seven caught the ball and then made a pass to Five, who then passed to Nine with Six screening out Hayakawa; it was then that he realized a pattern. Kuroko smiled. He then turned to Takeuchi and spoke,

"I think we need a time out, Coach."

Takeuchi was taken aback, but he complied either way. 'Kise' had been very creative these days and so far what he's seen during practice, he thinks that it would be wise to trust the boy.

With a blow of the whistle, the referee announced, "Kaijou time-out!"

The players were confused as to why there was a time out with such little time left until the end of the first half. But none said anything. When they reached the bench, Kuroko started.

"There's a pattern in their attack," he said. "Seven always passes to Five and then to Nine with Six setting up screens so that Nine can shoot freely. Whenever we score, it's always Six who throws the ball towards a teammate, it's usually Four. Four is right-handed so he'll always pass to anyone on the left which would most likely be Seven." Kuroko took a breath before continuing, "When Nine is blocked, he'll pass to Six who is always the closest due to him creating the screens. If he can take a shot then he will do it, but if not, he'll pass to someone, most likely Five. Then Six will move further upwards to the net, so when Five takes the shot and it rebounds, he'll get it."

"Ooohh! I'(ll) get all the re(bo)unds!" Hayakawa shouted.

"You're too loud!" Kasamatsu hissed.

"Five's shots will miss?" Moriyama asked. "But he has the height for it."

"It's not his cup of tea. From what I've seen if he's up close, then they'll go in. But his threes don't."

"Wow, Kise…" Nakamura began. "You've figured them all out. That was fast."

"That's why I'm on the bench. Who do you think I was watching? You guys?" Kuroko asked with a chuckle. He then turned to Kobori. "So, Kobori-senpai switch marks with Hayakawa-senpai; Five's reach is too high for Hayakawa-senpai to block him. Also, Nakamura-senpai, switch with Kasamatsu-senpai. I've realized that Seven is a point guard and I think the best way to block a point guard is by using one. Now, go."

"Hai!" Kaijou made it back onto the court, each running to their new mark…except Moriyama. Meanwhile, Takeuchi could only sit and look at 'Kise' with astonishment. Earlier, at the start of the school year, the Kise he knew was playful, conceited and…need he say, childish. But now, he's seeing a different Kise. One who's smart, strategic, and very observational that it's frightening. At one point, he wondered if the 'Kise' beside him and the Kise back then is the same person.

In the audience meanwhile, even Kise had noticed something with their formation. _They're using one pattern to attack with…why?_ But then, he caught Kuroko whispering something to the Coach after which the man then went and asked for a time-out. _Did Tetsucchi tell Coach to do that?_ Watching his former team, he then noticed how fast Kuroko's mouth was moving. He looked at all the players and seemed to be explaining something, Kise couldn't hear. After, he heard the players yell 'Hai!' and went back onto the court.

Kise smirked. _That's why you're on the bench, huh._

The game restarted with a throw in from Yokohama. Six threw in the ball to Four, who dribbled up the court to pass to Seven. However, due to Kuroko's observations, Kasamatsu was able to steal the ball, and he passed it to Moriyama as he was the only one who was open. He landed a flawless three, Kobori giving him a pat on the back while they were retreating.

Just as Kuroko said, Six retrieved the ball, and threw it to Four but as he received the ball, Nakamura knocked it to Hayakawa who dribbled down the court and then passed it to Kasamatsu. The point guard then weaved around his defender and made a shot. The game continued on like this, Kaijou stealing the ball as soon as Yokohama's players got it to counter.

The first half then ended, with Kaijou on fifty-two while Yokohama hadn't moved.

Over by the Kaijou bench, the boys were ecstatic.

"Kise! You are amazing!" Kasamatsu said with glee. "I didn't know that you had such scary observational skills."

Kuroko chuckled, "You'd be surprised."

"Alright, here's what's going to happen." Takeuchi started, "Kise, you'll be playing in this half, that means, Nakamura, you're out."

"Sure. That Number Four was a pain in the ass anyway." He shrugged.

"You did well to keep him at bay though." Kuroko complimented. "Good job,"

"Also, we'll keep the formation as is, as long as they don't change their attack form." Takeuchi said.

"About that Coach…" Kuroko joined in, "…in the third quarter, I think they'd try to shut me down. I've noticed from the warm-up that they all had their eyes on me." He then continued, "I think Five and Four may double team me, but if not, I'm definitely sure that they'll make Five mark me."

"That makes sense. You _are_ a member of the famous Generation of Miracles." Moriyama said. "But in that case, it'll make it easier for us to shoot."

"Right you are Moriyama. Anyway, Kise," the coach started again, "be sure to widen that point gap if they don't block you."

"Yes Sir," Kuroko replied. He then turned to Kasamatsu, "For the first point, I was thinking of using the same tactic as we did when we played the three-on-five."

"Ah, that would take them by surprise." Kasamatsu smiled. The other four players looked lost.

"Uhh, what are you two talking about?" Moriyama asked.

"For the tip-off, if Kobori-senpai doesn't get the ball, it's fine. As soon as their point guard gets the ball, I'd steal it and pass it to Kasamatsu-senpai who will then pass it to you."

The referee then blew the whistle, and both teams made their way back onto the court. Kuroko felt all eyes on him, it was even worse than when he's modelling.

Kobori once more faced off with Number Five, but this time, Five had gotten the tip off. As soon as Number Seven had received the ball, Kuroko knocked the ball away from his hands, it went straight to Kasamatsu who then tapped passed it to Moriyama. The irregular shooter received it with ease, and then sank a three.

The Yokohama players gazed at the Kaijou players with shock. The speed at which they scored left them in awe.

 _It was just tip-off!_ Number Seven thought. He was still by the centre line, frozen with shock. Number Six had already gone to retrieve the ball, while Kaijou went to defend their net. Kasamatsu and Kuroko stopped at the centre line, while the others had gone a little further than them.

When Kuroko saw Six take the ball, he then looked to Kasamatsu who had a feeling what Kuroko wanted him to do. They both ran off at the same time, Kasamatsu heading in Four's direction, Kuroko ran pass Five and Seven. They followed him however, and he decided to stop by the three-point line.

Kasamatsu stopped in front of Four, and blocked him from passing. When Four noticed that he couldn't pass Kasamatsu, he attempted an overhead pass, but sadly for him, Kobori caught it. He then dribbled down court to Kuroko with Kasamatsu following. Kobori then passed to Kasamatsu who then redirected the ball to the net.

Kuroko had broken free of the block when their attention was diverted. He then made a dash to the net and in that instance; he saw Kasamatsu shot the ball. He then grabbed it and dunked.

The cycle continued for a couple minutes, the Kaijou players would retreat a little, but as soon as Kuroko or Kasamatsu stole the ball, they ran full on towards the net. Moriyama had gotten used to the ball appearing into his arms so he shot without hesitation, Kasamatsu sunk some threes as well. Kobori and Hayakawa mainly kept up defense and screens from whoever was shooting.

Kuroko weaved through the defense just like how Kise taught him and how he'd practiced. Kaijou was in the lead, the point gap only grew. Their bench was lively; Takeuchi was rejoicing inwardly that he had managed to get Kise to join his team. Not only could the boy play, he could strategize. He felt like he hit the jackpot.

The whistle then blew, throwing Takeuchi out of his thoughts. "Yokohama Gakuen time-out!" the referee said. Both teams went to their benches, but the boys from Kaijou saw how frantic Yokohama's coach was speaking.

"They'll definitely change their tactic," Kuroko said out loud so that everyone could hear. "The coach probably realizes that we've figured them out. Since we don't know what they're going to be doing, all we have to do is keep our marks in check. Hayakawa-senpai, block Nine as much as you can and Kasamatsu-senpai, stop Seven at all costs. Once those two are shut down, it should be easy taking on the other three."

"Right!" Hayakawa shouted, patting his cheeks.

"But if they should double team me, we all know what to do right?" Kuroko asked them. He had on a smirk on his face, and he himself was surprised by it. The only response he got from his new teammates were grins.

The referee sounded his whistle, signalling that the game should continue. When both teams entered the court, the first thing Kaijou noticed was that there were indeed two on 'Kise'. It was Five and Four, the two tallest of Yokohama's players. Kuroko sighed. One was enough, but two? He knew that this would have happened at some point in the game, but he was uncomfortable. Their style of blocking is way too close.

Kasamatsu threw in to Moriyama who made his way down court. He then stopped when Nine ran up to block him. He looked across the court and saw that almost everyone had someone blocking them. Hayakawa was by the net with Six, on the outside there were Kobori with Seven, 'Kise' with Four and Five. Kasamatsu was behind him.

However, this didn't faze Kaijou's players at all. Moriyama continued dribbling until he saw Kuroko break free from the block. He then passed the ball behind him to Kasamatsu and ran towards the three-point line. As soon as Kasamatsu had received the ball from the shooting guard, he redirected it to Kuroko who, without hitch, sent it rocketing back to Moriyama. He then shot the ball earning another three points for Kaijou.

However, Yokohama didn't hold back. As soon as Six had retrieved the ball, he passed it to Five who thundered through Kaijou's block with his huge build and then he passed to Nine who sunk it.

For the rest of the third quarter and early stages of the fourth, the game was mostly run-gun for both teams. For Kaijou, Moriyama and Kasamatsu sunk threes, while Kuroko dunked. Kobori kept his defense, Hayakawa and Six facing off for rebounds.

Time was winding down in the match, the effects of the hard play was showing on the players. Sweat coated their bodies as though drenched with water; the panting could be heard even in the audience.

Finally, it was the last minute in the fourth quarter with Kaijou having the ball. Hayakawa dribbled until he passed the centre line and then passed to Kobori. He then passed to Kuroko who was closest and then, this time out of habit, redirected the ball immediately to Kasamatsu who was at the three-point line. He shot the ball, and everyone looked up at its graceful arc. As Yokohama's players looked on, they seemed to be in agony and even more so when they heard the swish of the net.

The referee then blew the whistle, "Game Over!"

Kaijou celebrated, Kasamatsu and Moriyama ruffled 'Kise's' hair, while Hayakawa gave him a pat on the back.

Meanwhile, Kise sat in the audience with tears falling from his face. "Tetsucchi's amazing!" Seeing Kuroko in action got him fired up, as he knew that that wasn't all that the boy had up his sleeves. His face then took on a more serious look, "at the rate at which I'm going, Tetsucchi may end up improving Kaijou better than how I'm doing with Seirin. I can't let him beat me." He smirked. He then got up and made for the exit. He didn't intend on waiting on Kaijou for they would take a long time and he had to go home in Tokyo.

As he reached the door, he heard the referee's voice shouting, "One hundred and one to Seventy-two, Kaijou!"

"Thank you for the game!"

A smile played on his face when he heard _his_ body's voice in the mix. "With Tetsucchi playing for Kaijou, Inter-High is going to be very interesting."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	13. You'll See Something Amazing

Chapter 13

...

_Winning against Shinkyo, Seirin got through the first round in the Inter-High Preliminaries. Their second game was against Jitsuzen High, with Kise benched for the whole game, they still managed to crush them 118 to 51._

_And then, their third game was against Kinga High. Last year they were in the top sixteen, with a good balance of offense and defense. Seirin had beat them 92 to 71. Everything was going smoothly for Seirin, however, in almost every match, Riko could see Kise twitching from a lack of participation in games._

_Their fourth game was against Meijo Academy, and surprisingly, their team was composed of the thugs who he, Kuroko and Kagami had destroyed at a street court in Kanagawa._

_Kise chuckled at their misfortune._

_Seirin destroyed them 108 to 41, which Kise had played a part in, grinning inwardly at their miserable fate._

_xxxx_

The team sat on their bench after the game, Kise finally felt like he had released some of his anger from the Shinkyo match. However, he noticed how the team kept looking at him for some strange reason, and sometimes out of the blue, asks if he was alright. Even though he hasn't been with Seirin that long, he could tell that they were acting suspicious. _Could it be that they suspect me or something?_ Kise fretted. However, he tried to keep his calm on the outside.

He was taken out of his thoughts by Furihata,

"We're doing well," he started, "at this rate; we'll easily make it through the preliminaries and all the way to the Championship league."

"How naïve." He heard Izuki say.

"It must be nice being so young and carefree." Koganei added. Mitobe nodded in agreement. He then heard Hyuuga started talking.

"For the last ten years, the same three schools have moved on to the championship league from Tokyo ― King of the East Shutoku, King of the West Senshinkan, and King of the North Seiho. They're evenly matched so the top team changes every year, but they never let anyone else get better than fourth place. They're the three immobile Kings of Tokyo." He continued, "After our fifth match are the finals and semi-finals. In the finals we'll most likely come up against the King of the East Shutoku that acquired Midorima Shintarou of the Generation of Miracles."

Kise didn't say anything. His mind only ran on Kuroko, who, if they haven't switched back bodies before the championship league, it would be catastrophic if he had to face any of their old teammates while trying to play like him.

"But you guys made it to the championship league last year didn't you?" Kawahara asked,

"Yeah, but we didn't stand a chance." Hyuuga replied. Kise's eyes widened. _This is a serious problem…_

 _Our seniors definitely aren't weak but…_ Kagami had thought. He then said aloud, "the three Kings."

They then heard whispers echoing throughout the gym. 'Look. They're here.' That caught their attention so they all looked up. There they were walking in, in all their orange glory.

The King of East Tokyo, Shutoku.

"Looks like they came." Hyuuga said, not taking his eyes off them for a second.

"It's better to see something for yourself than to hear about it." Riko said. She then stood up with a smile on her face, "First years, prepare yourselves! You're going to see something amazing today. They're supposed to be even more amazing this year."

"What is with that obnoxious jersey?" Kise said aloud. "It's _disgusting_." He twisted his face in scorn, not realizing that the team had heard him. But when his eyes caught Midorima, he sucked in some air to prevent himself from laughing out. _He looks like a carrot! I see no difference!_

The members looked at 'Kuroko'. One thought was on their minds, ' _Kuroko definitely has a split personality'._

Shutoku walked in to their chant which was coming from their audience of their basketball club. Looking up in the stands and seeing the mass of orange, Kise cringed. _Maybe I should let Onee-chan design a jersey for them…that thing is abominable!_

"I'm gonna go say hi." He heard Kagami say as he got up.

"Sure," Hyuuga agreed absentmindedly. When he realized what he'd done, he called out to the redhead but Kagami was already well on his way.

"Hey. You're Midorima Shintarou, aren't you?" he asked as he walked up to the green haired player.

"Yes but who are you?" he asked holding his lucky item gingerly in his left hand. Behind him, Takao laughed. _You know who he is. Why are you so proud?_ Kagami then extended his left hand, offering Midorima to shake it.

"You want to shake hands?"

Kagami didn't answer.

Midorima then sighed, and gave Kagami his left hand. He then took out a marker from God knows where and wrote 'Seirin Number 10, Kagami Taiga' in Midorima's palm. The green haired boy was alarmed at the action.

"You look like the kind of guy who'd claim he doesn't remember me even if I'd introduced myself normally." He then continued with a more serious look, "I want the guy who I'm about to get revenge on for my seniors to remember me."

"Hmph." Midorima said as he pushed up his glasses. "Revenge? You're rather reckless aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"You're from Seirin aren't you?" Takao asked as he came up behind Midorima. "Haven't your seniors told you anything? Last year the three kings destroyed Seirin when they tripled their score."

Kagami looked shocked.

"Of course," Kise then joined in. "Our senpais told us that they didn't stand a chance." He then shrugged his shoulders, "and plus, it would be pretty obvious. A new team with only first years, and a fellow student as their coach, obviously they wouldn't stand a chance against a veteran." He continued, "But they managed to make it to that far. You shouldn't take them lightly."

"Say what you want but the difference in strength is absolute." Midorima said. "Even if we meet again in the championship, history will only repeat itself."

"No." Kise said, "You can only speculate based on the past. You won't know what will happen until you play Midorima―" he broke off abruptly, as he almost added –cchi to his name. He believed in what he said, as it was the same thing for Kaijou. They had belittled Seirin because it was obvious that they were the stronger team, however, even though they were stronger, Seirin had still beat them.

"Kuroko, I don't like you." Midorima said. "I can't tell what you're thinking, especially from your eyes. There is plenty that I would to say to you but telling you now would be meaningless. Join us in the finals first."

"The feeling is mutual." Kise started, "And so what if you can't tell what I'm thinking? Why should that be a problem or of any concern to you?" Kise asked, there was a hint of anger in his voice. "After all, A-blood types like me and B-blood types like you will never get along." He remembered what Midorima had always said in middle school, and well, he felt like drawing the card.

"You've got a mouth on you." Takao said as he walked over to 'Kuroko' and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're one of those aren't you? You went to school with Shin-chan right?"

"Yes I did." Kise wanted to laugh hearing Midorima's nickname.

"Don't let it bother you. He's just a tsundere. He's actually really interested in you. He even went to see your first preliminary game."

"You shouldn't make up so many stories Takao." Midorima said, adjusting his glasses.

Kise then looked at Midorima then back to Takao. "I always knew _Shin-chan_ loved me, I bet he's too shy to admit it." He teased. Takao snickered while Kise had a playful smirk on his face. Due to the angle at where he was, Midorima didn't see the smirk, but Seirin did.

The green haired shooter was about to question 'Kuroko' about calling him 'Shin-chan' when he heard Otsubo's voice, "How long are you going to keep talking? Get ready!"

"Okay." Takao said, the two then walked off, leaving Kise and Kagami on the court. But before he could reach Shutoku's bench, Midorima turned around to address 'Kuroko'.

"Kuroko, I will show you just how naïve your thinking is."

Kise smirked savagely, "And Seirin will show you just how conceited your actions are."

Midorima was actually taken aback by the facial expression, as for long as he could remember, Kuroko had one unreadable expression on his face. _Always_. "Hmph." He said walking away.

"Looks like Kuroko-kun gave them an earful." Riko said.

"Who cares?" Hyuuga added. "He didn't say anything we weren't thinking."

Shutoku was at thirty-eight while Kinga was eight. Seirin watched the match from the stands, just to see how well they have improved in the last year.

"They're already thirty points ahead with four minutes remaining in the second quarter." Riko started, "I'm not surprised." Kagami 'hmph'ed at her statement.

"They're not doing anything that differently from us, but they make it look so easy." Kawahara said. "I wonder why?"

"It's because they don't make mistakes." Hyuuga began, "In basketball, the ball's always moving back and forth at high speeds. Without exception, strong schools always have solid basics like passing, handling and running." He then continued, "they make it look easy because they're fundamentals are so solid. But those are only the fundamentals. Naturally, there's another reason. It's because they have an infallible scorer."

"What an amazing dunk!" Kawahara said after seeing Otsubo.

"Is he really a high schooler?" Furihata said in awe.

"He's gotten even stronger." Riko said to Hyuuga.

"We couldn't do anything about him last year." He said.

"Otsubo on the inside and a normal outside was Shutoku's game last year but this year…" she trailed off.

"He's five out of five so far." Kagami said, looking at Midorima. "Looks like Midorima's playing well."

"Is that so?" Kise said.

"I don't know! Shouldn't you know?"

"To me, it seems like he's testing out his shots or warming up." Kise started, this earned him shocked looks from his new team. "For one Midorima-kun doesn't miss," at the same moment, Midorima took a shot. The ball arched high into the air and all Seirin's eyes were drawn to it.

 _Seriously? What's with that high arc?_ Hyuuga thought. _Most people won't have any sense of distance shooting like that._

The ball went into the net flawlessly.

"As long as Midorima-kun doesn't lose his form, he makes one hundred percent of his shots."

"Seriously?" Izuki asked.

"That's not fair." Koganei added.

"He's even heading back to defend before he makes his shot." Tsuchida said. "He's impossible to counter." Mitobe nodded in agreement.

"The time until he makes his shot is abnormally long. It really gets you mentally." Riko added.

 _He really is amazing, but why am I getting a bad feeling about this?_ Hyuuga thought, _Could Midorima be hiding something even more ridiculous?_

"Hmm, I wonder if he's saving the worst for us?" Kise said out loud.

"What makes you say that Kuroko-kun?" Riko asked the boy.

"It's just that in middle school he could shoot from the centre line." There were unison gasps. "When I remember Kise-kun…" Kise then said, "…if he had made such improvements, I won't be surprised if Midorima-kun can do a full court shot. He's probably saving that for us."

"What?" Kagami shouted. "Shooting from the centre line in middle school? Is he even human?"

"Have you forgotten that the Generation of Miracles are monsters? He's our number one shooter, and you see that tiny bear on the bench?" Kise pointed in its direction. Seirin nodded. "That's his lucky item for today. He believes in Oha-Asa horoscope, and fate. And…" Kise trailed off, "…if we're playing him on a day that's good for Cancers, we'd better be prepared to face the green haired monster. He'd be relentless."

 _Their outside isn't a weakness at all; they've got even a more dangerous scorer out there._ Riko thought with a sweat drop. _This almost makes last year's performance look cute._

_xxxx_

"Okay, let's go home!" Hyuuga said to the team as he opened the door.

"Don't!" Riko screamed as she pushed them. "We've got another game today! Are you stupid? Are you?"

"I was kidding. The mood just seemed too gloomy." Hyuuga said with something looking like a smile.

"Everyone's checked the tournament bracket." Izuki joined in. At that moment, Kise had a guilty look on his face.

"Huh? We've got another game? Seriously?" Kagami asked. Kise inwardly sighed, _at least I'm not the only one._

"Kagami…" Tsuchida started,

"You really are stupid Kagami!" Riko shouted. "Check the bracket! We play two games on the day of our fourth game and the last day! Our fifth game starts at five o'clock!" Kagami then took the paper from Riko.

"Two games in one day is really too much." Koganei said.

"Yeah, even if we get a break, we're still tired." Izuki said.

"The semi-finals and finals are both in one day?" Kagami asked. "Does that mean we're playing a game before we play Shutoku?" he then noticed something on the paper, "Coach, the three kings are Shutoku and…?"

"Seiho and Senshinkan." She answered.

"Isn't this…?"

"On our last day, our opponent will most likely be Seiho. We'll play Shutoku in the finals. We're playing two Kings in a row."

"Shit." Kise said. Lucky for him, no one heard him.

"That's impossible." Furihata said.

"Good schools have strong players and a lot of them." Kawahara said. "Our guys will all need to be benched."

"Ha! Two games in one day and both our opponents are strong. I couldn't ask for more." Kagami grinned.

"But this is too much." Furihata said.

"Who are you trying to impress?" Kawahara asked. "Right Kuroko?"

Kise felt mischievous. A small smile graced his face, "He's trying to impress me, aren't you~" he teased.

"You bastard!" Kagami grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. The Seirin team snickered at the two but then Kise reverted to imitating Kuroko and said,

"I'm actually excited too." He deadpanned. Kagami released him.

"What? Did you get Kagami germs too?" Furihata asked.

"What are you talking about?" Kagami asked.

"I hope not."

"The way that you denied that pisses me off," he hissed at the shorter boy.

"But don't difficult situations light a fire in you?"

The expressions of the Seirin team indicated that he had just hit the nail on the head.

"All right! I'm on fire! I'm gonna go practice!" Kagami shouted.

"Don't! You should rest!" Riko barked at him. "You unbelievable basketball head! Bakagami!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	14. Preparation for Seiho

Chapter 14

...

_Kise had returned to the locker room as he had forgotten something in Kuroko's―his locker. He placed his bag on the bench and quickly retrieved the towel. As he was about to take up his bag, he spotted a DVD on the stool in a corner of the room. He smirked._

" _Coach was right, there's no such thing as over-analyzing." He said to himself. "I'll get Tetsucchi to help me since he's such a scary observer." He then paused. "But I'll have to ask his parents if I can stay over my house."_

_xxxx_

The house was quiet; all the occupants asleep except the two boys who were up, looking at the laptop's screen. In each of their laps were a pen and a notepad, writing down any information that they thought was important.

"Their defense is good, or rather a pain in the ass. And I can't believe that I'll have to face that bastard again." But then he chuckled, "hmm, this time I may be able to pay him back for what he did to me in middle school. That bald piece of shit."

"Please refrain from using such language while in my body, Ryou-kun. It's strange seeing myself speaking like that."

"Sorry Tetsucchi," the blue-haired boy said. But then he looked back to the screen. "But there's something strange about their movements, don't you think so?"

"Yes, but I don't know what it is." Kuroko tapped his pen on the notepad.

Both were watching a DVD, a match between Seiho, Seirin's next opponent and Kitawada. So far on both their notepads were a lot of writings ― Kuroko's had patterns that he had observed in their play, while Kise's had the players and their [deduced] positions.

"Anyway, I believe that we can get our revenge." Kise grinned. Before Kuroko could ask, Kise took up his phone and dialled Kasamatsu's number. He put the phone on speaker before the older boy answered.

" _Hello._ " He answered after two rings.

"Kasamatsu-senpai, sorry to bother you but what do you know about Seiho?" Kise asked. "It's me Kuroko."

" _Kuroko?_ " He started, _"What are you doing with Kise's phone?"_

"He's with me."

" _Oh. Seiho's defense is man-to-man but it is no ordinary man-to-man_. _What they do is create pressure by staying on the right of their guys the whole time. It's extremely difficult to break away from them._ "

"R-really?"

" _No matter how good you are at passing, if no one's free then you'll be playing at half power, Kuroko."_

"Senpai, I've noticed something strange about their movements." Kuroko joined in, "Do you know what it is?"

" _They use old martial arts techniques."_

They looked to each other. "Old martial arts techniques?"

" _Yes, movements like namba running. By avoiding twisting, they reduce the strain on their bodies and the energy they spend. That's why their defense lasts for the whole game. That's all I can remember for now."_

"Thanks Senpai, but you know a lot about this." Kise said.

" _You're welcome. I've played Seiho before; remember I'm a third-year."_

"Be sure to come watch our match Senpai." Kise grinned.

" _Yeah, didn't Kise tell you? He had already asked me to accompany him. You'll see us."_

"Okay, thanks again." With that Kise hung up, and with a triumphant grin to Kuroko, the two boys began dismantling Seiho. At first, they re-watched the video, paying keen attention and keeping in mind what Kasamatsu told them. When they were finished, their notepads had even more notes than before.

"This is a sticky situation." Kuroko said.

"Huh?"

"You guys will be playing Seiho before Shutoku on the same day right?" Kise nodded. "Then that means, Shutoku will mostly bench Midorima-kun to preserve his strength for Seirin." Kuroko then continued, "And what is more, due to Kagami's build and power, I have a feeling that Seiho will most likely target him."

"Yeah, that's a given."

"This means, for the Seiho match, it would be wise to not let Kagami-kun play for the entire game; or any at all."

"I was already considering that. But I have an idea." Kise said, getting up off the bed to stretch."Since their defense is so good and they keep it for an entire game," Kise continued, "why not force them to play Seirin's run and gun game to tire them out?"

Kuroko's eyes widened. "That's not a bad idea." He then got up as well, and looked under the bed. He then pulled out the box of weights, even though it was damn heavy. "For Seirin to force Seiho to play their basketball, they'd need to keep up their stamina and speed as well. As soon as anyone gets the ball, preferably you or Izuki-senpai, the team would have to be constantly in motion for Seiho's guys to not mark any of you."

"The moment we stop…"

"…is the moment they block you."

"In addition to that, it would cause confusion on the Seiho's part." Kise smirked. "With me and Izuki-senpai coordinating with your dangerous style of passing, they'd be looking for the ball and won't be able to find it."

"Exactly." Kuroko actually grinned.

"Now let's work out a plan shall we?"

_xxxx_

The next day, the Seirin basketball team sat in their clubroom, watching a DVD of Seiho's match. The room was in silence, minus the sound coming from the television.

"We already knew it would be," Izuki said, "but this is going to be tough."

"Sorry, but I feel like crying again," Koganei said in a soft voice.

"Frankly, we'd lose nine times out of ten against Seiho and Shutoku. We just have to bring that one win to our games." Riko said.

"Koganei-senpai, this time not a shred of tears would be falling from your eyes." Kise said to his senior. Everyone turned to look at him since he was seated at the back. "I have something for us."

"What is it, Kuroko-kun?" Riko asked.

Kise then rummaged through his school bag and pulled out the notepads. He had even brought the one Kuroko was writing in as well. He then walked to the front of the room and handed Riko the notepads. She skipped through them and was amazed.

"Kuroko-kun, this is…this is…" she couldn't find a word to describe it.

"What is it, Coach?" Hyuuga and Izuki went up to her and took one of the notepads. When the boys saw it, they were dumbstruck.

"Kuroko, with this, we'll definitely win!" Hyuuga said. "How did you find the time to do this?"

"Coach left a DVD in the locker room yesterday so I brought it home. I got information about their style of defense from Senpai, and Ryou-kun helped as well."

"Senpai? Ryou-kun?" Kagami then stood up. "Who're they?"

"Oh," Kise realized that he'd address Kuroko as Ryou-kun in front of Seirin. "Kasamatsu-senpai and my best friend."

"Kasamatsu? You mean the captain of Kaijou?!" Riko asked while screeching.

"Yes."

"You have a best friend?!" Kagami joined in the shouting as well.

"Aren't I a person Kagami-kun? Calm down."

They were silenced by that. For a while, everyone stared at 'Kuroko' with a shocked face.

"Hey, let's get back to work." It was Hyuuga who broke the trance. Kise then took the notepad that Riko had.

"The first thing, Kagami-kun, there's a possibility that you won't be playing in the match against Seiho any at all."

"What?!"

"We need you at full strength for the match against Shutoku. The only way to fight a monster is to use one as well. You're the only monster we have, so you shouldn't complain." Kise continued. "You're the only one who can handle Midorima-kun."

"But ―!"

" _Kagami-kun,_ " Riko called to him. The tone that she used indicated that he should not say a word. She then turned to Kise, "Let's listen to what Kuroko-kun has to say first."

"What I have in mind is that for the first five minutes of the first quarter, let them have their way. When that happens, we'd be able to have a feel for ourselves what their play is like instead of remembering what we watched here. I won't be playing during that time. In the last five minutes, that's where we attack. Instead of trying to pass their defense _with_ the ball, we have to let the ball pass the defense."

"Wait, I don't get that." Koganei said. "Let the ball pass the defense?"

"Yes, I'd be subbed in here. We have to pass the ball through their legs or through any open space in their defense, and since I'm invisible, I won't have a marker. Once the ball is passed, I'd redirect it to anyone who is able to shoot."

"I see." Riko nodded in approval.

"Also, since Kagami-kun won't be playing…" Kise heard a low growl coming from the redhead, "…we're going to have to put Hyuuga-senpai to good use. Izuki-senpai and I will be circulating the ball at high speeds, and since Mitobe-senpai is usually close to the net he'd sink some balls as well, right Senpai?" Mitobe nodded with a smile.

"Of course! You can give me the ball anytime!" Hyuuga said, entering into clutch mode.

Kise smiled but then he continued, "For the third quarter, this is where I'd be subbed out. And remember that Seiho stays on the right of their marks. I intend for you guys to force Seiho into playing a run-gun game to tire them out. But be weary of Tsugawa."

"Tsugawa?"

"Seiho's number ten. I've played against him in middle school…" Kise's expression changed, "…and that little shit managed to stop Kise-kun, making him earn a foul. However, when I took him on, he ran around like a headless chicken."

Seirin exchanged glances upon hearing 'Kuroko' call someone 'a little shit'. Kagami gave Riko an 'I told you so' look but she didn't say anything.

"But Kuroko-kun, if we should play a run-gun game, that means we'd be tired for the Shutoku match." Izuki said.

"Not at all. I have the perfect remedy for you."

"Eh?"

He then took off his jacket and shoes and rolled up his shirts sleeves, and his pants legs. Riko let out a gasp when she saw them.

"Weights?" she asked. "Kuroko-kun…what?"

"During training I always have them on. When I'm going home from school, I jog and in the morning before the sun is up I take a jog around the neighbourhood. I also practice my sprints with them on and I must say, I feel the improvements."

"Take off your shirt." Riko commanded.

"Excuse me?" he asked. Kuroko hadn't told him about Riko's ability so he found it strange. But the look that she gave him forced him to do it without asking anything more. When he was shirtless before her, she was shocked. She then made a dangerous grin.

"When are we going to start this Kuroko-kun?"

"Today. The weights are already in the gym." He had made Reiko drop them off this morning and then he struggled to bring them to the gym.

"Okay boys, after we finished analyzing, we're heading to the gym!"

There was a unison groan coming from the boys inside the clubroom. "We're going to die," Koganei said, looking as though he was about to cry. Mitobe only nodded in agreement.

_xxxx_

_Inter-High Semi-finals_

_Seirin vs. Seiho_

Inside the gymnasium, four teams could be seen warming up on two separate courts; Shutoku with their opponents on one, Seirin and Seiho on the other. During his warm up, Kagami dribbled the ball and then made a dunk. Inside he was still burning but when he had got the time to think things over, he realized that what 'Kuroko' had thought up made sense. He's the only one who can handle Midorima.

In this moment of thought, he looked across to the sharpshooter, who held a ball in his hand. Feeling someone's eyes on him, Midorima then looked across to Kagami which caused their eyes to meet.

"It's not time to stare him down, idiot!" Hyuuga said. He held Kagami's head and turned it in Seiho's direction. Kagami then broke out of Hyuuga's grip. "No matter how hard you stare, it isn't going to make our match with Shutoku come any faster."

"I was just looking at him." Kagami answered, "Even though I'm not playing, I'm still focused on our game against Seiho." _Who are these guys? They seem good, but they're completely different from Shutoku._

"Seiho seems more normal than I expected." Furihata said, standing beside Tsuchida. "They don't have any really big guys."

"I suppose they are small for a national class team." Riko answered. "They're biggest player is their captain, Iwamura-kun."

"Is he as tall as Mitobe-senpai?" he asked. "He's pretty wide! He's so thick! He seems so powerful!"

"Then there's their play maker, Kasuga-kun. Those two third-years make up the core of the team."

"Hmph!" Kagami said as he walked towards the net.

"You're Kagami-kun aren't you?" he stopped when he heard someone call his name. He turned around to see a bald haired player with a smile on his face. "Your hair's so red! Scary!"

"What?" _This is Tsugawa that Kuroko told us about. Why does he seem like an airhead?_

Tsugawa then turned in the direction of Seiho, "Captain, this is the guy right? Seirin's really weak but they have one strong guy."

Kise felt something in him snap. He almost walked over to the boy and punched him in the face but then he saw Riko's expression. "You've done it now, you little shit." He heard her say.

"Ow!" Tsugawa wailed out as Iwamura knocked him on the head.

"Quit messing around you idiot." Iwamura said sternly. He then looked at Seirin. "Sorry about that. This guy can't read situations so he just says what he's thinking."

"You don't need to apologize." Hyuuga said. "We're going to win. If you look down on us like you did last year, you'll end up in tears."

"That won't happen." Iwamura said. "Besides we weren't looking down on you. You were just weak that's all."

"What? Captain, you're not mincing words either." Tsugawa said as they were walking back.

"Idiot, I just don't sugar-coat my words." He answered.

"See Kagami-kun, they had their eyes set on you after all."

"Yeah,"

After a couple more minutes of warming up, both teams headed back to their locker rooms to get dressed. Inside of Seirin's, there was a gloomy silence. No one said anything, heck; almost everyone had their eyes downcast. Kise had Kuroko's phone out looking at the screen along with earphones in his ears.

"What are you looking at?" Kagami asked. He then leaned over slightly to see the screen.

"A recording of this morning's Oha-Asa." He answered. "It's our horoscope. When this thing is good, Midorima-kun's good."

"Oh. What's his sign?"

"Cancer. I'm an Aquarius."

"I didn't ask about you."

"So mean, Kagami-kun." He then tuned out the redhead to listen to the thing.

_First place goes to Cancer. Congratulations! You'll have no complaints today. Last place goes to Aquarius. Play it quiet today._

"Uh oh." He said aloud, everyone in the locker room looked at him.

"What is it?" Hyuuga asked. "What did that thing say?"

"This is terrible." Kise said. After all, he is in an Aquarius' body. "Cancer is number one today, while Aquarius is last."

"That's terrible indeed." Izuki said. "Since you say that Midorima follows that thing, then that means…"

"He's going to be ferocious." Kise then continued to listen to the rest of it.

_With your lucky item Shigaraki raccoon, you have nothing to fear! However, your compatibility with Leo is very poor. Be careful if you run into one._

_Everyone's a little tense,_ Riko thought, _especially hearing what Kuroko-kun said_. She then clapped her hands to gain their attention. "You're all a little too uptight! I thought of a reward to cheer you up." She then placed a hand on her lips with a sly smile. "If you win your next game, I'll give each of you a kiss on the cheek. What do you say?"

"Why did she laugh?" Izuki said, unfazed.

"You can't be serious." Koganei said.

"You idiots! Pretend to be happy if you have to!"

Hearing those comments, Riko ended up being even gloomier than her boys.

But after a few seconds, she came back on her feet and shouted, "Shut up and get it together, you idiots! Don't you want to pay them back for last year? It's got to be quite a lot with a year's worth of interest!"

Koganei was frightened when he heard the outburst from Riko. As a matter of fact they all were.

"Sorry, sorry. We know." Hyuuga said. "All right before we start, I'll tell you again." He said as he turned to the first years, "I'm sure you'll feel it as the game starts, but first years, prepare yourselves for the worst. Seiho is strong. After last year's massive defeat, we hated basketball so much that we nearly quit. Don't be so gloomy!" He said as he saw the first years' faces. "We got over it, we're better now. If anything we're happy. This won't be the same as last year. I'm confident we've become strong enough to be sure of that. Now we just have to win let's go!"

"Yeah!" they chorused.

While walking towards the court, Kise couldn't stop thinking on what the seniors said. The moment he heard Hyuuga say that they had hated basketball; his mind remembered what Kuroko told him.

_I hated basketball at the time. The squeak of the shoes, the swish of the net._

And what was worse, he could see the pain in his eyes. Kise had never felt so hurt in his life before. When Kuroko had told him about his feelings during his days at Teikou, Kise wondered how he could have been so foolish.

"Is something wrong?" He heard Kagami ask.

"Kagami-kun, have you ever hated basketball?"

"What? No I haven't."

"Oh. I think both this game and the one against Shutoku is important for our seniors to get over the past…" he trailed off, "…so let's win."

"Of course."

They then caught up with the rest of the team and not before they entered onto the court. Changing into their jerseys, the two schools lined up as the announcement was made.

The ball was then thrown into the air for the tip-off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	15. Seirin vs. Seiho

Chapter 15

...

Kuroko and Kasamatsu made their way to the gymnasium; Kuroko couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. He felt sorry for Kise, who has to be restricting his movements so that Seirin won't know that something's not right about 'Kuroko'. And then again, he began to feel sorry for himself, as if this switch isn't corrected, God knows what kind of basketball monsters he'd have to face…monsters like Aomine.

"What's wrong with you?" Kasamatsu asked.

"I'm just thinking about Inter-High and how Tetsucchi's faring that's all."

"Oh. But to have two matches in one day and against two kings no less, that's brutal."

"I know." They then made it up the steps and then Kuroko decided to check the time. "Uh oh." He stopped. Kasamatsu was behind him, wondering what could be the problem.

"What?" he asked.

Kuroko turned to him and answered, "We're late." He then grabbed Kasamatsu's hand and ran inside.

"It's your fault why we're late!" He barked. "If you hadn't decided to be nice to those girls we would've been here already!"

"Sorry Senpai!"

When they entered, the first they noticed was the scoreboard. Four minutes into the first quarter and Seiho was leading them by twelve points, Seirin hadn't scored.

"What?" Kuroko said from shock. Even though he knew about the plans, he thought that they would've still scored.

"Oi, oi, seriously?" Kasamatsu said in shock.

"Tetsucchi told me that they were going to let Seiho do what they wanted for the first five minutes of the first quarter to have an idea of what they were like but…" Kuroko said as he and Kasamatsu made their way to some seats.

"But?"

"I never expected them to not get a single point."

As they watched, Kuroko noticed that Tsuchida had the ball, trying to pass Tsugawa. However, no matter which direction he went, the boy was there. He then looked to Izuki who was behind and the point guard ran towards his direction. He then passed the ball to him, and then screened out Kasuga.

When Izuki was about to make a shot, he was blocked by Iwamura. _I thought I was wide open. He appeared out of nowhere!_

"How naïve." Iwamura said to Izuki. "Your offense will never crush our defense at that level." He then ran off going into side of the court.

 _Their defense is so tight. This is tough. I wouldn't expect less from a top Tokyo team,_ Hyuuga thought as he ran back to defend. Seeing all that was happening, Kise was eager to be subbed in. But when he looked to his right, he could see Kagami twitching far worse than he was.

Up in the audience, Kuroko couldn't understand what was going on. From the little time that he had spent with Seirin, he knew that their offense wasn't weak…

"What are they doing?" he said out loud.

"Hmm. I thought so when we played them but Seirin's a slow starter. Kagami's usually the one to put his foot his on the gas but he isn't playing in the game. Without that, they can't hit their stride."

Once again, Tsuchida had the ball and couldn't pass Tsugawa.

"Tsugawa, it's fine if you're excited but don't wear yourself out before the second half."

"I'm fine!" he replied. "They're not as good as I thought so this should be easy."

Kise sat up straight hearing that comment. He then gripped the bench as tight as he could to not march out there and slaughter the bald boy. Kagami, who was beside him, was seething with rage. Kise knew that he needed to get Kagami to calm down before he carries this anger into Shutoku's match.

"That shit!" he roared. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Kagami-kun, this is basketball." Kise said calmly. "But after the match, we can ambush him. Ryou-kun has a sister who drives so we could get her to dispose of his body when we're done."

Kagami looked at him with a savage grin, "I never knew you could think that way, Kuroko."

"You'd be surprised."

"Kagami, just how easily do you get angry?" Riko asked.

"You need to calm down." Kawahara turned to him and said. "Kuroko was right to not let you play. Maybe you would've picked up some fouls by now."

"No I wouldn't." Kagami said. But then he got serious, "looking at their movements, if we didn't analyze them, they would be impossible to play against."

"Indeed." Kise said. He then turned to Riko. "Coach, I don't think we should wait until five minutes."

"I was thinking the same thing." She then got up and went to request a substitution.

"I'll slaughter that baldy." Kise hissed to himself. "He pisses me off to no end." And as usual, Kagami heard him. _Why am I always the one to hear him when he's like this?_

He then saw 'Kuroko' get up off the bench and went to stand beside one of the officials. The referee then indicated a member change; Seiho's players were all dumbfounded. When Koganei walked over, he gave 'Kuroko' a high five. When he came on, he headed directly to Izuki.

"Senpai, we'd be getting that ball to the others." He said with a small smile.

"Sure. Let's do this." The two then headed to the other three to tell them the plans.

_xxxx_

The ball was passed to Tsuchida, in which he caught it. He then dribbled for a couple of seconds and then made a break from Tsugawa on his left. He then passed the ball to Izuki who sent it flying to Kise. The former blond then redirected it into Hyuuga's hands, which sunk a perfect three.

Seiho's players were left in shock as they lost sight of the ball when Izuki had passed. The next thing they knew, Hyuuga was shooting a three.

"This game is finally getting started," Kasamatsu said. Kuroko smiled. But then his eyes caught Shutoku's match. He saw Midorima walk over to the bench after he shot a perfect three.

"They're benching him only after five minutes? I knew they'd conserve him but this is quick."

"Of course they are." Kasamatsu answered. "Their opponent is just a middle tier school. There should be no surprises." He then looked back to Seirin's match. "If there should be any, it's going to be over here."

The game continued, Seiho had the ball, but they started to pass quickly.

 _Their passing is ridiculous! They're so quick to pass the ball again as they get it!_ Kagami thought. He was still twitching on the bench, unable to keep his composure. _For once, I'm glad I'm not playing. They would have pissed me off._

"Mitobe, he's gone!" Hyuuga shouted when Iwamura started dribbling down the court. Mitobe went to block the captain but then he decided to pass to Tsugawa. However, the moment he'd done so, Kise stole the ball. Hyuuga then broke pass his defender the moment Izuki had received the ball from 'Kuroko'. The point guard then passed it to Hyuuga who, once more, landed a three.

"Hmph, and here I thought that Kagami and Kuroko were the dangerous duo." Kasamatsu said. "He and that point guard are lethal as well."

"Yeah,"

By the time the game had four minutes left, Seirin was on six while Seiho was on fifteen. Kise was not pleased. But, in that four minutes, he and Izuki had something planned.

"A nine point difference, huh?" Tsugawa said as he walked back while looking at the scoreboard. He then bumped into Kise but didn't realize that the boy was standing there.

"You! Who are you? Have you been playing in this game?" he asked surprised.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. And I have been." Kise answered.

"You're kidding! Seriously! You've got so little presence!"

Hyuuga and Izuki were behind the two, but what shocked them was the fact that Tsugawa had played against 'Kuroko' before and doesn't remember him.

 _He just told him his name!_ Hyuuga thought.

Catching the number on his shirt, Tsugawa then asked, "You're a first year too?" his face changed into a smile, "Hey did you know? Last year our team was ahead of yours by twenty points in the first quarter. That's why I want to make it thirty. Well don't let it get you down!" he then touched Kise's shoulder as he ran off.

Kise was livid.

"Fine." He started with his face darkened; he didn't even look back at him. "I'll be sure to fuck you up."

Seeing this exchange, Kagami looked at Riko. "Coach! There it is!" but Riko couldn't say a thing. She was awestruck that polite, calm and collected Kuroko had become…something she couldn't describe. She then looked at the others and saw that they couldn't believe it.

She then looked back to the game as Izuki faced off with Kasuga, Mitobe had Iwamura near the net, Hyuuga had Omuro and Tsuchida had Tsugawa. He dribbled the ball, but didn't pass.

"They've been right on them the whole game." Furihata said.

"They can barely pass like that." Kawahara said.

Izuki then passed the ball into a (supposedly) open space behind Iwamura; Kasuga had a smug look on his face. _A random pass like that will never…_ He held that thought when he saw Kise appear and knocked it to Mitobe. He then grabbed the ball and made a shot.

_What? A pass from behind the defense?_

Kuroko couldn't hold back his chuckle. He was proud of himself and Kise as the former blond did something that he knew _he_ himself would have done.

"Looks like the iron wall of Seiho's defense has never seen a pass from inside their wall before." Kuroko said with a smile. "That was splendid."

Omuro had the ball and was running down court. He then passed to Kasuga. "What's going on?!" On the court, the Seiho players were once more caught by surprise.

 _Those number five and number eleven…_ Iwamura thought, _they're dangerous together._

"Now, now," Kasuga said, grabbing the ball with Izuki chasing after him. "Calm down kids." He said to the point guard. He then broke pass, and drove towards the net. But in that moment, Kise stole the ball and passed it to Izuki. The point guard quickly grabbed it and headed down the court. He then passed to Hyuuga who landed a three. The game continued on like this for the rest of the first quarter, Kise went on a stealing spree; Izuki circulated the ball, while the others landed shots.

The first quarter was over, Seirin and Seiho tied on nineteen points.

"I heard this guy said something stupid again." Iwamura said to Hyuuga with Tsugawa in his grip.

"Yeah, honestly it brought back memories of last year's trauma." Hyuuga answered.

"Sorry."

"But it's fine. We got over it."

The teams returned to their benches, Riko immediately went to addressing her boys.

"Coach…" Kagami started. Riko knew what he was coming with so she quickly rejected. He then began mumbling inaudible things but the expression he had made Kise feel sorry for him.

"Coach, let Kagami-kun play for this quarter." He said. "I hate seeing him like that. And plus, I wouldn't want in the Shutoku match he has so much pent-up frustration that he begins to act out on his own." Kise then pulled the same eyes he used on Kuroko on her. "Please?"

Without being able to say no to that face, she sighed. "Alright, but just this quarter. Tsuchida-kun, you'll be subbed out." The boy nodded.

"Yosha!" he jumped. "Thank you Kuroko!" he took off his shirt and stood up.

"Sit down Bakagami!" she shouted. "This game is just getting started." She said. "Keep the formation as is. Don't be led by their passes; remember that you have Kuroko-kun and Izuki-kun who will be getting the ball around. Keep your zone tighter." She continued, "If you try to match your opponents like a wuss, they'll control the flow of the game. Remember to play offensively!"

"Yeah!"

The buzzer then sounded and both teams returned to the court. "Second quarter, begin!"

While Izuki dribbled the ball, he noticed how close Kasuga was to him. As a matter of fact, he realized how close all of Seiho's guys are. But, Seirin's players had a feel of ease to them.

"Tokyo's best defense is finally running at full power." Koganei said. Izuki then passed the ball to Kagami, who was more than eager to break away. But he couldn't.

"They finally put you on the court." Tsugawa said with a smile. "I was waiting."

Kagami didn't answer. _Seriously, this guy, I can't get past him. Seeing him block Tsuchida-senpai and playing against him are two different things! But with the two of us…_ he held the thought when he saw 'Kuroko' entered his vision. He quickly bounced the ball through Tsugawa's legs, which Kise then knocked back to him. He then dribbled a little closer to the net when Iwamura came to block him.

"No you don't!" the bulky captain shouted. Kagami then looked to his left and saw 'Kuroko'. Timing it just right, he once more bounced the ball through the legs, and Kise knocked it back to him which he dunked.

"They can _do_ that?" Tsugawa asked himself in shock. "Where did number eleven come from?"

Up in the audience both Kuroko and Kasamatsu were shocked. "They can make it pass that defense?" his eyes almost popped out of his sockets.

With a hand pushing up his hair, Kuroko added, "They're really in tune with each other. I can't believe it."

"It's frightening. I wouldn't want to imagine all three of them coordinating on the court." Kasamatsu said.

"All three of them? Which three?"

"Kagami, Kuroko and their point guard." He answered. "That would be a nasty combination."

Back on the court, Tsugawa and Kasuga were in a conversation. "What are you laughing for?" he asked as he put an arm around his shoulder. "It's the first time I see someone get pass you." Kasuga said.

"That pair's offensive power is certainly impressive, but it seems that only one of them can score." He said with a smirk. A whistle was sounded, and the players got back into position. Hyuuga dribbled the ball and then passed it to Kagami. _What's going on? They're not pressuring me at all. They're not trying to stop me? I don't know what they're thinking, but I'll slam another one through their hoop!_

Kagami then jumped but he didn't realize that it was a trap. Kise smacked his forehead and sighed.

"No! Don't do it, Kagami!" Hyuuga shouted. But it was already too late. Tsugawa fell to the ground, and the referee blew his whistle.

"Offensive foul! White 10!"

"Maybe I should've let him stay on the bench." Kise sighed. "He already picked up a foul."

Kagami was red with anger. The second half has barely started and he already had a foul. _He did that on purpose!_ In that moment, Tsugawa looked up at him with a sadistic smile. Kise then walked over to Kagami and looked at Tsugawa then back to Kagami.

"Keep an eye out for their shitty tricks, Kagami-kun. I never imagined the day that Seiho would stoop so low to win against _us_." He said aloud so that Tsugawa can hear. "Some King you are." Kise rolled his eyes at Tsugawa. "We'll dethrone you, supposedly King of the North." He held onto Kagami's hand and pulled him away from the bald haired boy. "Come, let's re-group."

"That idiot! What is he doing?!" Kuroko shouted when he saw Kagami get the foul. He found that he was really getting into his 'Kise' character quite well.

"The moment he's subbed in, he got a foul. If this continues, he's going to go right back to the bench," Kasamatsu said.

While on the bench, Riko sighed.

"That moron!" Koganei said. "Kuroko felt sorry for him and this is the thanks he gets?" he then shook his head. "He should've stayed on the bench."

Back on the court, the Seirin players converged together.

"Kagami-kun, you need to calm down." Kise said, "And once you receive the ball, pass him on your left as quickly as you can." He then turned to the others, "Senpai, we will be continuing our passing and Hyuuga-senpai, always be by the three point line." The captain nodded. "And Mitobe-senpai, keep doing what you're doing. Sometimes the ball will come to you."

With that said, they then got into their positions, Izuki had the ball. With a glance to the left, he spotted 'Kuroko' and passed the ball to him before dashing off away from Kasuga. Kise then redirected the ball back to the point guard who then rocketed it Hyuuga, who was at his designated area. He sank a three as quickly as possible.

Omuro had retrieved the ball, and was dribbling it down into Seirin's half with number seven tagging behind him. However, Kise came up on them and stole the ball, passing it to Kagami who broke pass Tsugawa just as Kise instructed. He then thundered down court and with aid of Mitobe, who was keeping Iwamura at bay, he slammed it into Seiho's net.

When Iwamura had retrieved the ball, up in the audience, Kasamatsu was shocked. Instead of retreating to defend their net, all of Seirin's players were still in Seiho's half along with Seiho.

"What…what is this?" Kasamatsu asked aloud. "Usually in basketball, once the other team receives the ball, they should be heading back to defend. This is…"

"When you have a passing specialist and a point guard who's the pupil of that specialist, who needs to defend when the ball is going to get stolen?" Kuroko couldn't help but smirk.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Iwamura held the ball to pass it to Kasuga but Kise knocked the ball from his hands and bounced it backwards to Izuki, who quickly redirected it to Mitobe who landed a shot.

Jaws were dropped.

The audience was silenced.

In his shock, Kasamatsu rose to his feet and rubbed his eyes to see if what he was seeing was actually happening. He then looked to 'Kise' who had a smug expression.

"Kise, what was that?!"

"It's simple. Because Tetsucchi is basically invisible on the court, he slipped in and stole the ball before they knew it. And then, he passed it behind to their point guard so that he could pass it someone that can shoot before Seiho realizes what was going on."

"That's why they didn't run back to defend?" Kasamatsu finally sat back down. "I've never seen a team do that before."

"That's why it's _unorthodox_ , Senpai."

Kasamatsu looked at him. "That was your idea, wasn't it?"

Kuroko smiled.

The game continued, and for the rest of the time, Kise and Izuki's coordination was lethal. The moment anyone from Seiho got the ball, Kise would appear and steal it, sending it to Izuki who would pass it to either Hyuuga or Kagami. Sometimes, he would pass it back to Kise, depending on how far they are from Seiho's net. Mitobe always kept up a good defense when not shooting.

As for Seiho, they were in a form of confusion. Not only did they have the ball stolen from them every time, but the way Seirin circulated the ball made their eyes hurt. Kise was hard to keep track of, many times, they had forgotten that he was playing until he stole the ball. Kagami broke away from Tsugawa when he had calmed down; Hyuuga landed threes after threes after threes. It was truly a sad situation for Seiho.

But for Kise, he was having the time of his life. Seeing the expressions on Seiho's faces was killing him, especially Tsugawa. With Kagami thundering pass him every time he got the ball, and with his Senpais not knowing how was Kagami doing it…Kise felt at ease.

Before they knew it, the second quarter was over, signalling the end of the first half. A small frown reached on Kise's face, seeing that he was having fun but now he's going to be subbed out. He paused at that. He was having _fun_. While coordinating with teammates…relying on others to take shots…he gasped. He then looked up into the audience hoping to spot Kuroko and Kasamatsu but sadly he couldn't. He realized what Kuroko was talking about when they were in middle school. _If I had played basketball like this with Kaijou at our practice match, maybe we would've won._ He sighed.

"You were right, Senpai." Kuroko said as the players walked back to their benches. "Those two are a lethal combination." He himself would have never thought of coordinating like that with Izuki. As a matter fact, Kuroko was now thinking that the switch was not only a good thing for him and Kise but for their teams as well. If this hadn't happen, he wouldn't have thought of teaching Izuki his passes, he would've never thought of coordinating with him either. He was just so accustomed to being the shadow of the ace, that he had overlooked _other_ possibilities.

"And to make it even worse, he's a point guard." Kasamatsu said, "He already had excellent ball handling skills, add those passes to the mix and he's become a formidable opponent." He then leaned forwards, "I can tell that that's not all he can do with those passes too."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Senpai?" Kuroko asked with a hint of playfulness.

"What's that?"

"You're a point guard who can do those passes as well."

Kasamatsu smirked.

_xxxx_

"Nice passes Kuroko!" he felt a pat on his back. It was Hyuuga. "You and Izuki make a good team!"

"Thanks Senpai." He then looked at Kagami. The redhead didn't look as miserable as before and he was thankful for that. When they made it over to the bench, without hesitation, Kise put on his white shirt and took a drink of water.

"Alright, it's going into the third quarter, are you all ready?" he heard Riko asked.

"Of course we are." Hyuuga answered. "There's no way I'd let that horrid training go down the drain."

"I agree, Captain." Izuki nodded.

"Good, then go out there and pay them back!"

Tsuchida and Koganei removed their shirts and stood up after the team had already returned to the court.

"Let's show them what we can do Tsucchi." Koganei said.

"Yeah," the taller responded.

"If things start go badly I can play!" Kagami said.

"What are you talking about? The moment you were subbed in you picked up a foul." Koganei replied. Kagami twitched, "And plus…" he then looked over at Shutoku, "they've been conserving their monster for the finals. Leave this to us." He and Tsuchida then walked off, Kagami's eyes were still on Shutoku.

The Seiho players looked at the Seirin players and noticed that Kise and Kagami weren't playing. Tsugawa made his way to where Hyuuga was and spoke,

"Oh? They're both gone. It's a little disappointing, but whatever."

"Quit running your mouth you braggart." Hyuuga hissed in a low voice.

"Braggart?" Tsugawa made a step back.

"I'm going to teach you how to talk to your seniors, baldy." Hyuuga said as he entered clutch mode. Tsugawa was at a loss for words. Hyuuga's expression left him scared, before he could say anything, he swallowed a lump.

The game restarted, Izuki passed the ball to Tsuchida who then passed it to Hyuuga. He faced off with Tsugawa, but then he made a dash down court towards the net. Iwamura saw this and went to block him along with Tsugawa. Seeming as though he would've made the shot, he jumped with the ball in one hand, but then he passed to Mitobe who was behind him.

Mitobe then dunked the ball, earning shocked expressions from everyone.

"He can dunk?" Kagami asked while they heading back to defend. He then held a serious expression on his face when his eyes caught Shutoku's bench. Seeing his expression, Riko then rubbed her knuckles on his cheek.

"Why do you look so serious?" she asked. "Keep your eyes on our current match; you'll get to play Shutoku."

"Yes!" he answered.

Back in the match, Omuro dribbled the ball down court but was soon blocked by Tsuchida. He then broke pass him as soon number seven came up and screened him out. He continued down court reaching the net. "Got it!" he then jumped to make a shot, but Hyuuga stopped him.

"No you don't!"

"Amazing!" Kawahara said from the bench when he saw the block.

"He blocked it!" Fukuda added.

Koganei had received the ball and passed it to Izuki who then passed to Mitobe. He caught the ball with ease but Iwamura was right behind him. Realizing that he couldn't pass him, Mitobe jumped with the ball; however, he used the hook shot form. The ball landed in the net smoothly, Iwamura surprised at the improvement. Kise smiled. _That's a nice shot; I'm going to add that to my pile._

"Looks like you haven't been playing around this past year." Iwamura said to Mitobe. He only nodded in agreement.

Kasuga dribbled the ball down court with Izuki behind him. "No problem. This is nothing!"

 _Oh, no, you don't!_ Izuki then ran up beside Kasuga but Seiho's point guard didn't let that faze him. He then jumped to make a shot with Izuki trying to block him. _Is he trying to shoot a layup from this far away?_ He then realized what type of shot it was. _A scoop shot?_ The ball went perfectly into the net, Izuki was slightly amazed. _I've never seen such a soft touch._ He then looked to Kasuga and Iwamura who heading back. _If Iwamura's a rigid player, then that guy's flexible._

He then passed the ball to Hyuuga who passed it to Mitobe. Unable to pass Seiho's captain, Mitobe passed the ball to Koganei who ran passed him then proceeded to screen out the captain. Koganei made a clean shot, no defender blocking his path.

"They're going at it harder than I expected." Kuroko said aloud. This was the first time he's seeing only the seniors play.

"This seems to be working a lot better." Kasamatsu added. "They formed a team around Kuroko and Kagami this spring, in other words, it's still developing. Hyuuga's outside shots and Mitobe's hook shots. The offensive team revolving around those two they're playing right now is the other set-up Seirin spent a year creating." He continued, "They must have been practicing hard since last year's defeat. One other thing I noticed is this team's key player is the guy I matched up against the other day."

"Hn? It's not their captain?"

"Hyuuga is their mental core. He leaves making plays up to the point guard. He most likely has another eye."

"An eye?" Kuroko asked. Kise hadn't told him about Izuki's eagle eye.

"It's called 'eagle eye'. With it, He can change his point of view instantaneously inside of his head. Because he sees everything from all angles, he always sees the entire court."

Kuroko was left in shock. _Izuki-senpai could do that?_

"Ippon! Let's be careful!" Izuki shouted with a ball in his hand. He then activated his eagle eye and then passed to Hyuuga who was running towards him on his right. Izuki then broke pass Kasuga and crossed with Koganei making the two Seiho players collide. Hyuuga then passed the ball back to Izuki and he made a shot.

"Damn it, I was on his right side…" Omuro said.

"But he used me as a screen." Number seven added.

Looking on, Kasuga wondered what happened. _Seriously? That happened so fast. You'd never noticed unless you were watching from above._

Heading back down the court, Izuki skipped behind Hyuuga.

"It would be nice if you'd call that a nice shot." He punned.

"Do you want to be subbed out already?" Hyuuga asked, "Go die."

"Die? What?"

"Hyuuga-kun and the others aren't good at everything, but they each have one special skill." Riko said with a smile. "They've been polishing them for a whole year."

"They really are amazing!" Furihata jumped up and said. "What skills do they have?"

"Well, Izuki-kun has an ability called eagle eye. It enables him to see the entire court instantaneously in his head. And as you know, Hyuuga-kun's shots don't miss."

"Do Koganei-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai have special skills too?" Kawahara then asked.

"Huh? Uh, yeah," she answered with uncertainty in her voice. "Koganei-kun can shoot from all ranges! But his accuracy is only so-so!" when she said this, all their eyes looked to the court to see Koganei making a shot…which he missed.

"Doesn't that make him pretty normal?" Kagami then said.

"And Tsuchida-kun's good at rebounding!"

When Koganei's first shot had missed, Tsuchida caught it and quickly and shouted to the cat face player. "What are you doing?!" he then passed the ball back to him, "Koganei! Here!"

"I got it!" Koganei said as he received the ball. However, as he shot it, it once more bounced off the rim of the hoop.

"Enough already!" Tsuchida roared. "How did you miss two free shots?!" Everyone on the bench had an unbelievable look on their faces.

The game continued, the seniors holding their own against Seiho without Kise and Kagami. By this time, it reached the fourth quarter Seirin was on forty-nine, while Seiho was on fifty. Both teams made baskets after baskets; Seiho's team was starting to feel it. Seirin hadn't given them a chance to block them, as soon as the Seirin players got the ball; they dashed off, and were in constant motion.

But that didn't last. Tsuchida got the ball, but then it was knocked away by Omuro. Seiho's number seven was running towards it but he slowed down as it was about to go out of bounds. But Koganei wouldn't let that happen. He dashed towards the ball and threw it in but he missed his footing, and tumbled over the bench.

"Koganei-kun! Are you okay?!" Riko shouted as she rushed towards his aid. "Or not!" His eyes were spinning, and he wasn't responding. "Koganei-kun! Koganei-kun!"

"Senpai, are you okay?" Kagami asked.

"I think it's a slight concussion." Riko said. "We have to sub him out."

"Then Let me play!" Kagami suggested. "Please!"

"What are you talking about? You can't play." Hyuuga said. "Have you forgotten why we're conserving your energy? We'll settle this, just you wait!"

"I just can't sit still anymore! I want to help ―" Kagami broke off as Kise's hand slapped his on his mouth.

"I agree," he said, "so the guy who got a foul the moment he was subbed in should stay on the bench."

Kagami then grabbed his head. "What did you say Kuroko?" he snarled.

"We need you for Midorima-kun. Plus, if you should go out there, with your stupidity, you'd just be fouling around." He attempted a pun.

"Nice Kuroko!" Izuki shouted and motioned for the blue-haired boy but Hyuuga jabbed him in the side.

"Oh my God, Kuroko!" Hyuuga screamed. "Don't over to that side!" he then turned to Riko, "Coach, we have to save him before it's too late!"

"I won't!" Kagami then shouted to 'Kuroko'. "I've got to pay back Tsugawa for what he did!"

"Fine." Kise said smoothly. "I'll beat Tsugawa for you."

"What? What good will that do?" he said as he grabbed his hair once again. "There's no point if you beat him!"

Looking at the scoreboard, it was fifty-eight to sixty four in Seiho's favour. Hyuuga decided that it would be alright if 'Kuroko' played.

"Fine. As another first year, take down Tsugawa, Kuroko."

"What?" Kagami couldn't believe what was happening. Kise nodded. He then made his way onto the court with a glance at the time, four minutes and fifty-one seconds remaining. He walked to Tsugawa, with a serious expression.

"Oh? It's just you?" He then folded his arms. "I wanted to play against Kagami."

"Sorry, but apparently he has a grudge, so I'm here to pay it back by proxy." Kise said, but then his face got scary.

Tsugawa chuckled. "You're paying me back for Kagami?" he then turned to his Senpai. "Omuro-san can I change my mark?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well…it seems I have a proxy that demands payment." He then turned to Kise, "I'm surprised that they sent you and not Kagami, but for them to send a first year at all…looks like Seirin's senpais aren't so dependable at all."

"I asked to be subbed in. Anyway, if you've been watching the game, there's no way you could believe that." His face then became smug. "Aren't you a first year as well? What about your senpais that are on your bench? It seems that _they_ aren't so _dependable_ as well." Tsugawa grit his teeth and gripped his jersey as tight as he could. He was fed up with Kise's sneering remarks but on the court, if he did anything, he'd be thrown off.

The game continued, with Izuki having the ball. Then Kise disappeared from Tsugawa, and ran in Izuki's direction. The point guard then passed the ball to him in which Hyuuga broke free of his defender and caught the ball. He smirked and made a shot.

Tsugawa was left in shock. _I lost him! How did…when did he…_

 _There it is again, those strong passes…_ Iwamura thought while watching them retreat. _But even the receivers are slipping pass defense._

Omuro had the ball dribbling towards Seirin's half but the moment he passed it, Hyuuga stole the ball and ran down court. When a defender came to block him, he then passed to Kise who redirected it to Mitobe who made a shot.

"What is this?" Tsugawa said. "What's going on?!"

"They know our movements!" Omuro said.

"Thanks to you guys, one of our DVD players is ruined." Hyuuga said to Iwamura. "And worst of all, we had to endure hellish training that made our legs and arms feel like they were falling off."

"They really got us." Kasuga said. Tsugawa grit his teeth.

In the audience, Kasamatsu was explaining to Kuroko more about Seiho. "As their name suggests old martial arts techniques are ancient. Their thought process is completely different from modern sports science. Applying those specialized movements to basketballs is Seiho's strength but if you're specialized you've got habits."

"Habits are hard to beat." Izuki punned.

"I know, right?" Tsuchida agreed.

As time went by, Seirin made baskets after the next and even defended against Seiho's players as well. Kise was having fun, redirecting the ball every time he got it, leaving the Seiho players in a daze. Watching him play, Kagami was shocked. During the first half, he wasn't really watching him but now…his eyes were locked on the small player.

 _Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've seen Kuroko play from the bench._ "Amazing," he said.

"You just noticed? He's always been like this." Riko said.

Kise was unstoppable. He didn't let up on the passes, and more so, no matter how many times Tsugawa came to block him, he'd just disappear from his sight. He stole the ball constantly, and he was so fast that Seiho hadn't even time to catch him.

"That's strange," Kasamatsu said.

"What is?"

"Ever since Kuroko came on court and matched up against Tsugawa, he seems to be playing more viciously than before."

Kuroko smirked. "It's because revenge is a dish best served cold."

Kasamatsu didn't respond as he heard the crowd going into an uproar. When he looked back to the match, he saw Hyuuga pass the ball to Tsuchida who landed a three…bringing Seirin's score to seventy while Seiho was on sixty-nine. It was twenty-five seconds left in the fourth quarter, Seirin was defending their net, Iwamura thundered towards them with the ball.

He then jumped and dunked, blowing away Mitobe and Tsuchida who went to block him. "Do not underestimate king!" he roared. "You need ten more years of experience to defeat us!" they then went into an all-court man-to-man formation.

"They're not just trying to defend, but they're trying to score another shot." Kasamatsu said leaning forward with a shocked look on his face.

Back to the court, Izuki had the ball and faced off against Kasuga. "It isn't over yet!" _How can they try so hard in the last seconds?_ Mitobe then came up behind Kasuga and screened him out while Izuki turned and headed down court. "Nice! I'm impressed Mitobe!" he then encountered number seven but he passed to Kise was ready and waiting.

"Damn it!" Iwamura said when he saw what was going to happen.

Glancing around, Kise was about to pass to Tsuchida, however, Tsugawa came up to block him. Seeing this, Kuroko was frightened.

"Tsugawa? How?" He said.

"He found him by calculating backwards from the pass course!" Kasamatsu answered.

Kagami stood up and called out to his shadow. "Kuroko!"

Kise realized what was happening and swiped his hand over the ball.

 _He missed? With this timing, there's no way he could change his pass target!_ Tsugawa thought. However, he was wrong. Kise then used his other hand and passed the ball to Hyuuga.

The captain sank a perfect three.

The buzzer sounded signalling the end of the match.

For a couple seconds, there was complete silence both in the court and audience, as they couldn't believe that Seiho just lost.

"Game Over!"

"Yes!" the Seirin players shouted. They converged on the court, surrounding 'Kuroko', while Koganei ran towards them. Tsuchida ruffled 'Kuroko's' hair and Hyuuga patted him on his back. Kise felt like he was going to burst from joy.

"Why?" Tsugawa shouted. "Seirin just formed last year! We practice way more than them! They didn't stand a chance last year. No matter how you look at it we're stronger!"

"Enough, Tsugawa." Iwamura said, holding onto his shoulder.

Kise stepped forward, unable to hold his tongue. "How are you so sure that you practice more than us? We've been through such hellish training that I couldn't go to school or even get up out of bed because my muscles were so sore that I thought I was paralyzed from the neck down." He said coolly. "And plus, last year is history. This is now." He then smiled, "I told you that we were going to dethrone you, didn't I?"

"The strong don't win. The winners are the strong ones." Iwamura said. "They were stronger that's all."

Tsugawa then looked at Kise. "Tell me your name!"

"Huh?"

"Your name!"

"No. I told you before in the match," Kise started, "It's your bad luck that you've forgotten, _again_."

"What?" Tsugawa was seething. "You ―"

Kise didn't reply, he walked off, meeting up with the rest of the team. He lined up and then the referee announced, "Seventy-three to seventy one, Seirin!"

"Thank you very much!"

"Congratulations guys," Riko said with tears in her eyes as they returned to the bench.

Placing a hand on her head, Hyuuga whispered, "Keep it together Coach. It's not time to cry yet." He continued, "You can be happy after we win the next championship game." She wiped her eyes, getting rid of the evidence that she was crying.

"Looks like they're finished too." Kagami said, gaining Kise's attention.

"You're right." He replied turning to look in Shutoku's direction.

"One hundred and thirteen to thirty eight, Shutoku!" the referee announced. _Well, aren't they ruthless?_ Kise thought. His eyes then caught Midorima who was looking in their direction. He looked up at Kagami who had a serious expression.

Kise then smirked. _This match is going to be very interesting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	16. Seirin vs. Shutoku

Chapter 16

...

"Go put on your jacket before your body gets cold!" Riko voice sounded throughout their locker room. "Make sure you stretch. Also, take some amino acids to restore your energy. Don't forget to calorie charge!" she said while massaging Hyuuga's foot. "I'll come massage each of you so take off your shoes!" she then turned to Hyuuga. "How does that feel?"

"Thanks." He replied. "I'd be lying if I said that I'm not tired, but I should be able to make it through the next game.

"I can't wait!" Kagami shouted. "Finally, I get to be on the court!"

"Calm down Kagami!" Riko said to him. "Don't go in the match with such an eager attitude! I don't want you to do anything reckless!"

"But I have so much energy to spend! I can't ―"

"Kagami-kun." Kise called. "Think about it. If you act reckless and get fouls in the finals...you do know what will happen to you right?"

Kagami flinched at that. He then folded his arms and seemed to have made a pout. Kise quickly turned away his face. The tiger looked hilarious and then he realized that there were snickers echoing around. When he couldn't hold in the laughter, he then turned to Koganei,

"I'm going to the bathroom."

"I'll go too." He said as he came off the locker.

_xxxx_

_Honestly, what a surprise. I didn't think Seirin would actually make it._ Takao thought as he washed his hands. Just then, Kise and Koganei walked in. Kise was almost passed Takao but then he called out to him. Kise was frightened. He got so accustomed to people not noticing him.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"A Senpai? Are you two going to the bathroom together? I look forward to playing you in the next game." He then exited the bathroom; Kise still stared at where he was just standing. _I have an uneasy feeling about this._

"Oh yeah," Koganei replied to him. _He noticed Kuroko walking behind him?_

"Senpai, I need to make a call, I'll be back." Kise said.

"Sure."

With that Kise ran out of the bathroom and made sure there was no one near him. He then pulled out Kuroko's phone out of his pocket and dialled his number. After one ring, luckily, Kuroko answered.

" _Hello._ "

"Tetsucchi, has anyone ever noticed your presence before?"

" _What? Of course not. Unless I wear a hoodie or have something elaborate on me...which is never."_ Kuroko then asked, _"What's the problem?"_

"I ran into a Shutoku player in the bathroom. He was washing his hands and I was walking behind him. _He_ called out to me. Gosh! I was so frightened! Tetsucchi!"

" _Calm down, but if he noticed you then that can only mean one thing."_

"What is it?"

" _You have to be careful on the court. If he's going to be playing, he's probably going to mark you."_

"Thanks." Kise hung up after that. He then leaned back on the wall, and sighed. "It seems like I won't be having free reign on the court this time."

_xxxx_

Both were gathered by their benches, captains giving their prep talk. Shutoku was lively and fierce, in contrast to Seirin.

"I'm beat." Hyuuga said with a heavy sigh. "I've been feeling melancholy this morning. We've got two games in a row, against two kings. And even while playing Seiho, all I could think about was playing another game after we beat them." He continued, his voice and attitude changing. "But there's only one game left. We don't have to worry about bothersome crap like the next game or reserving our energy. We can focus on the one thing we have to do! Give everything we have until we can't give anymore!" He shouted.

"Yeah!"

The referee's whistle then blew followed his voice, "Line up!" Both teams then made their way onto the court. While they were doing so, Hyuuga realized something about Kagami. _He's quieter than I expected._

"I didn't think you would actually make it this far." Midorima said as he walked up to 'Kuroko'. "But it ends here. No matter how weak, small or unknown any team can fight as long as they work together. That is an illusion." He then readjusted his glasses with his finger, "Come. I will show you just how foolish your choice was."

Kise didn't say anything. He had realized that during the Seiho match he was _too_ much like himself, and so decided to not ruin Kuroko's reputation any further. But, one thing was for sure, he couldn't answer him because this was something that the _real_ Kuroko would know how to answer. But before the he left, he said one thing that he knew Kuroko would also say,

"Seirin isn't weak. We will not lose, Midorima-kun."

Midorima narrowed his eyes at the shorter boy before walking off. The two teams then lined up in front of each other, waiting for the game to start.

"Will Seirin miraculously beat two kings in a row to win, or will Shutoku protect its rightful throne?" Kasamatsu said.

"I think it would be the first." Kuroko replied. "After all, they've got a severe punishment on their heads if they don't make it to the championship leagues."

"And what's that?"

"They'd have to confess their love naked on the school roof in front of everyone at morning assembly."

"That's cruel!" Kasamatsu shouted gripping his shirt at the heart. "I can't _even_ imagine _us_ doing _that_!"

"So, with that in the back of their heads, they're going to win even if it kills them."

"I'd do the same thing if I were in their shoes."

"Let the preliminary A block championship game between Seirin high school and Shutoku High school begin!" the referee announced.

"Thank you very much!"

They then got into positions for the tip-off. The referee then threw the ball into the air, Kagami and Otsubo facing off. When both boys jumped, Kagami managed to get the ball to Mitobe, who then passed to Izuki. The point guard then dribbled a little before he halted. The Shutoku players were already on their marks. _They're quick!_ He thought. _We wanted a run-gun for a quick shot but..._ He held his thoughts.

"There are no gaps in their defense." Furihata said.

"One! Take care!" Kawahara shouted.

"No!" Riko said quickly. "Matching a stronger opponent is like giving them control of the game! Attack them in the first quarter! You have to greet them by taking them by storm." she finished her sentence with a smile.

Izuki then passed the ball to Kise who then rocket it upwards to the net. Kagami caught it and was aiming to dunk it. Shutoku's players were surprised by that action but not Midorima. As soon as Kagami's hand came down, he knocked the ball from his hands.

"He blocked it?" Kuroko said.

"How disappointing." Midorima said to Kagami. "You think you could beat us with that?"

Takao caught the ball with ease, "I knew you could do it, Shin-chan." He smiled. He then dashed down the court with the ball but was blocked by Izuki. He then passed to the left behind his back to Kimura who headed towards the net. He was about to make a shot, when Hyuuga blocked him. It bounced off the rim of the net, everyone on the Seirin bench exhaled.

Two minutes then passed with neither team being unable to score with Shutoku's defense was tight as always.

"Oh man," Kasuga said. The entire Seiho team that played were in the audience watching. "They're stuck in equilibrium."

"Once the opponent takes control of the game, it's very difficult to take it back during the same quarter." Iwamura joined in.

Over on the other side of the gymnasium, Kuroko held a camcorder gingerly in his hand, videoing the match. Since he had given Kaijou formations to work with, he thought that maybe he should help out Seirin in that aspect as well. But he had an uneasy feeling. Remembering what Kise called him about before the match, he wondered if that player was currently on the court. Kasamatsu didn't question him, as he thought that he was videoing it for Kaijou to use in case they should encounter either team.

The captain then looked at the scoreboard. "It's been almost two minutes without either team scoring. At this rate, whoever scores the first point will take the first quarter."

"Indeed." Kuroko agreed. "I just hope it'll be Seirin."

The game went on with Hyuuga dribbling down court. A shot was made but it rebounded off the net, Otsubo beating Mitobe to it. He then threw it to Takao who dashed off. "Run and gun!" He had blocking him but then he passed behind him into Midorima's hands. Hyuuga seeing this was shocked. _What? Are you trying to shoot a three from there? Midorima!_

The green haired miracle shot the ball, and before it even went into the net, he and Takao were heading back to defend.

Kise ran to Kagami and whispered, "Keep running." Before dashing off to Shutoku's net. Seirin's players were surprised by it, and none noticed Kise heading towards it.

"The balance is broken!" Kuroko said.

"Shutoku's in control." Kasamatsu added.

Kise then got the ball, and just like how Kuroko had taught him, spun with a firm grip on the ball. Timing it just right, he released the ball that landed in Kagami's palm.

"What?" Midorima said as Kagami dunked the ball with eagerness.

The audience was shocked. Even Seiho and Kuroko and Kasamatsu were. Kuroko remembered teaching Kise how to do that but he'd never thought that the boy would use it to counter Midorima. _You're becoming a fine Kuroko Tetsuya, Ryou-kun._

"What was that, Ichiro's laser beam?" Kasuga said shocked. "This is basketball!"

_I've never seen that before. But thanks to him the flow of the game hasn't changed._ Hyuuga thought. _This game is just getting started._

Riko was shocked as well. She couldn't find words to say.

"What was that?" Koganei said, looking frightened.

"That cut straight from one side of the court to another." Tsuchida added.

"Kuroko," Midorima said, peeved.

"I'm sorry. I can't let you take the first quarter that easily." Kise replied. But inwardly, he was glad that he got the timing right. If he didn't, he couldn't imagine what would've happened to Midorima's face.

Takao looked at Kise. "They can pass like that?"

Shutoku got the ball, Miyaji dribbling and then passed to Midorima. But, he spotted 'Kuroko' and decided to pass instead.

"He could've made that shot." Kuroko said with a raised eyebrow. "Why didn't he?"

"I see." Kasamatsu said.

"Huh?"

"He's been shut down. With Kuroko spinning long distance passes. Midorima's team returns to defense during the long lag time of his shots and that's good for stopping run and gun plays. However, not everyone goes back. Just in case he misses, they leave someone to rebound the ball. That hang time bites them in the ass. If Midorima can go back, Kagami can also run back. They can counter Midorima with a super fast break by running past him."

"That's why he can't shoot." Kuroko said in realization.

"But the timing and decision to show us that pass..." Kasamatsu trailed off, "the confidence to get it in one shot, it's reaffirming." He smiled. "I'm glad that I can call him 'sensei'."

Kuroko smiled.

On the Shutoku bench, the coach watched Kise. "I was already surprised by how little presence he has but he can pass like that, too. They can shut down Midorima that way. What should we do?"

_We can't have people think this is all it takes to shut us down._ Takao thought. He then weaved around Izuki and when Mitobe came to block him, he passed to Otsubo that made a shot. Mitobe then retrieved the ball, and passed to Izuki. He then dribbled down the court and then passed to Hyuuga who had Miyaji marking him. The shooting guard then passed to Kise who redirected the ball to Mitobe. He made the shot.

"This is it." The coach was done observing Kise and planned to make his move. "Takao, Kimura, change marks. Takao get on number eleven." Takao stopped but continued to bounce the ball.

_He's marking Kuroko?_ Hyuuga thought.

"It doesn't matter who's on him." Furihata said.

"He's so invisible, anyone would lose him." Kawahara added.

_They're already taking a direct approach._ Riko thought. _What are they trying to do?_

The game progressed, Takao dribbled with the ball until he stopped in front of Izuki. He then passed the ball behind him to Miyaji who caught it with ease.

_That pass! He has it too!_ Izuki thought.

When they were heading back, Takao went in front of Kise. "I knew this would happen." He started. "Shin-chan would say it's our fate to fight against each other." Kise didn't say anything. "I didn't think we'd face each other so soon. It occurred to me the first time we met. You and I are the same person. We're both first years too. Passing is our bread and butter. So I guess you could say I hate you because you're like me. I just don't want to lose to you."

"What do you think you're doing?" Kagami asked Midorima. "No matter how fast Takao is, that's not the way to handle Kuroko."

"I am already familiar with Kuroko's abilities. You will see soon enough."

The ball was passed into Kise's direction, but Takao intercepted it. He then passed to Kimura that passed to Miyaji. He then made a shot effortlessly. Kise was shocked. _Shit._ He thought.

"I've never felt this before, but I think it's because there's something different about you."

Kise didn't know how to reply to that. "Thanks." Was all he said.

"We're ready to go." By the time Takao blinked, Kise had moved. "Hey, wait! How rude are you to suddenly disappear like that?" he seemed infuriated. But within a second his expression changed. "Just kidding."

Izuki dribbled the ball while trying to prevent Kimura from stealing it. "Hyuuga's free! Go!" he shouted. He then passed to Kise but as soon as Kise knocked the ball into Hyuuga's direction, Takao knocked the ball to the ground. Kise almost froze on the spot. Seirin's players were awestruck.

_Seriously?_ Kagami thought.

"That's the first time he's failed." Hyuuga said.

"No, that wasn't a mistake." Izuki replied. "Takao's got the same eagle eye that I have. No...his hawk eye's field of vision is even larger than mine." Hyuuga gasped. "Kuroko's misdirection relies on redirecting the gaze of other players. However, his hawk eye allows him to see everything. He's not just trying to watch Kuroko. In other words, Kuroko's misdirection doesn't work against Takao."

Takao then made a shot.

"Too bad Kuroko," Midorima said to himself.

Kise was still frozen. This is the first time that anyone that he'd passed to didn't receive the ball. _Did I fail?_ He then asked himself. But then his eyes saw Takao. _How is he able to locate me? I'm sure Tetsucchi's misdirection didn't run out...so why?_

Seeing how he looked, Riko quickly called for a time-out. The players returned to the bench, but they were still in a state of shock.

_I can't believe he can follow Kuroko._ Hyuuga thought.

_I didn't think there was anyone like that._ Riko thought, looking over at Shutoku. _We're in trouble._

"Hey don't tell me you're going to keep letting them get you." Kagami said putting a hand on Kise's hair.

"I..." he started, with a pitiful look on his face. "I don't like it." He managed to say.

"That's what I like to hear!" he then turned to Riko with 'Kuroko's' head still in his huge palm. "Coach! Let's keep going like this, please."

"Like this?" she asked.

"Are you crazy Kagami-kun?" Kise asked. "If Takao can see me then..."

"He's right Kagami-kun. His misdirection doesn't work against him."

The referee then announced, "Time out, over!"

"Take care of Takao." Kagami said as he got up.

"But how?" he whispered to himself. "What would Tetsucchi have done?"

_Let's go say hi. We've got a new play to give them._ Kagami thought as he looked at Midorima.

The game continued, as usual Takao was on Kise. For once, Kise wanted to be on the bench. He was clueless as to how to take on Takao and Kagami didn't even give him an idea.

"Hey have you come up with a plan?" Takao asked him.

"No." Kise honestly replied.

_Two games in one day is really brutal. I'd have to thank Kuroko for that weights training. I may have already been starting to slow if it weren't for that._ Hyuuga thought.

Izuki then passed to Mitobe but Miyaji stole the ball. Izuki then went to block him but then he passed to Takao Who headed down court and shot the ball. Shutoku, by now was on thirteen while Seirin was on eight.

"Shutoku is leading. Are we really going to be okay?" Kawahara asked.

"This game depends on Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun who had on reserve." He then looked at something in her hand. "However, that's not all."

"What is that?" Fukuda asked, seeing the thing in her hand.

"One I broke before."

"Broke?"

"After we lost last year. Hyuuga-kun asked me to help him be able to make his shots while under pressure."

"Really? So what did you do Coach?"

"Simple. I broke one of his precious Sengoku warrior figures for every shot missed during practice. But, his personality suffered a little, though." She then smiled. "Hyuuga-kun will always make the most important shots."

They then looked back to the court just in time to catch Hyuuga landing a three. "Who cares about Kings? Go die!"

Miyaji then had the ball dribbling down court but was soon blocked by Hyuuga. The blond then passed to Otsubo who was facing off with Mitobe. The captain then made a pass to Kimura but Kise intercepted it and knocked it to Hyuuga. However, Takao stopped the ball. Kise's left eye twitched with frustration.

"Stealing a steal!" Fukuda shouted,

"Kuroko's been shut down!" Kawahara said.

Up in the audience, Kasamatsu couldn't believe what was happening to Kuroko.

"Why is he failing this much?" he asked. "I can't believe my eyes."

"He's not failing." Kuroko answered. "Shutoku's number ten can see him."

"What?"

"When we played Seirin, you didn't notice him until he steals the ball or passes right? But with Shutoku's number ten, he sees him, whether or not he has the ball."

"That's not good for Seirin."

"Right. Without Kuroko getting the ball around, their captain can't make as much shots as they need to catch up, and their point guard has no one to coordinate his passes with."

"I wonder how Kuroko will overcome this."

"I just hope he doesn't snap and does something out of character."

"What?"

"It's nothing."

Back on the court, Midorima stood at the centre line, and addressed Kagami. "What are you doing? Defend harder. We're doing everything we can." As he said this, the ball landed firmly in his hand. "My shooting range isn't that short."

_He's shooting from the centre line? Kuroko was right._ Kagami thought. Midorima shot the ball, and with a perfect arc, it went into the net smoothly. The audience was stunned.

_The high arc extends his range._ Hyuuga thought.

Midorima then ran back to Shutoku's net to defend. "As long as I'm back here, you cannot get behind me with Kuroko's passes. But it's all irrelevant. My shots are three points, and your counter is only two. Even if we do nothing, the gap will only grow wider."

Hearing this, Kise knew that Midorima was right. Thinking back, he realized that the only person to ever notice him on court was Izuki-senpai and Kagami due to them coordinating. Since the team knows that his misdirection won't work, he thought that they aren't even bothering to look in his direction. He got an idea. But looking at the time remaining, it'll have to wait.

The game restarted, Hyuuga had the ball and then passed it to Kagami before Miyaji could steal it. The redhead then came to a stop before Midorima, and addressed the green head.

"You've got something interesting there." He started, "but..." he then shot the ball.

"A three?" Midorima was puzzled.

_I thought he wasn't good at outside shots._ Takao thought.

Kagami then ran towards the net with a smile on his face. _If it goes in then that's fine. If it misses, I'll dunk it myself!_ The ball bounced off the rim of the net, and without hitch Kagami dunked the ball, Otsubo unable to stop him.

"Kagami-kun..." Kuroko whispered to himself.

Seirin then ran back to defend, Mitobe gave him a pat on the back. Izuki did the same but dropped a pun in there. "So nice how nice it was."

"Izuki, seriously, stop." Hyuuga said, jogging up to him. The score now was Seirin on thirteen while Shutoku was on sixteen. They then heard a dribble from Shutoku's side of the court.

"That was a pretty good shot for you." Midorima said as he bounced the ball. "However..." he paused as he got into shooting position.

_Wh-what are you doing?_ Kagami was shocked. _How many metres do you think you're..._

"Kuroko's speculation was right." Hyuuga said. "He _can_ do a full court shot!"

Midorima then shot the ball. Its extended almost as high as the lights but when it came crashing down, it went perfectly into the net. "I told you, it's not that short. My shooting range is the entire court."

"First quarter over! Two minute interval!" the referee announced as he blew his whistle.

The Seirin bench was silent. _Kuroko-kun was right. We've got a something bigger to worry about than the score._

"I've seen videos of NBA players make that shot during practice, but trying that in an actual game is ridiculous." Izuki said.

"The Generation of Miracles are ridiculous." Hyuuga said.

"How are we supposed to stop that?" Koganei asked.

Kise had his head downcast. He wasn't listening to the conversation going on around him, he was just upset that his balls were constantly stolen and that his passes were being blocked.

"Izuki-senpai," he called.

"Kuroko?"

"I have an idea. Pass the ball to me anytime you think is right. When you see me with Takao, I want you to run pass me; I'll then pass to you in that moment. When you get the ball again from me, pass it someone who can shoot."

"That means..." Izuki trailed off.

"Yes, I won't use misdirection. Since it doesn't work on Takao, I'll just be passing the ball. Think of it as having two point guards on court." He then turned to Hyuuga, "It would be nice you are by the three point line when we're doing this."

"I got it." He replied.

"I just hope it works though."

"Of course!" Kagami pat Kise on his back so hard that he almost fell off the bench.

"Kagami-kun, could you please refrain from doing so?" he said while rubbing his back. "I need my back to play."

The whistle was then blown, and the game continued. Takao had the ball but was blocked by Hyuuga. He then passed to Midorima, but Kise went and intercepted the pass. Takao saw this and headed into his direction. Kise didn't pass as yet instead he dribbled the ball and tried to go around Takao.

"What's this?" Takao asked playfully. "Aren't you useless without your misdirection?"

"That's true..." Kise began. "...at least, that was the case." He then spun on his right foot to turn his back to Takao and in that moment, he passed to Izuki who ran in his direction. When Izuki had received the ball, Kise spun on his left foot to face Takao but then broke pass. Izuki passed the ball to Hyuuga who was waiting by the three point line. The captain then sank a three.

Seeing this, Takao was shocked. "You, what did ―" he broke off as Kise jogged down the court to re-group with the rest.

"Nice Kuroko, Izuki." Hyuuga said. The boys nodded.

Miyaji restarted with the ball and then passed it to Otsubo. He had Mitobe blocking him but with swift movements, he broke pass him and intended to pass to Kimura. Kise had intercepted the ball, but the moment he did so, Takao was on him. Quickly, Izuki ran in his direction. With his hawk eye, Takao could see Izuki coming so he blocked Kise on his left.

Realizing what was happening just a second early, Kise dribbled the hard, giving it a high bounce. He then used his left hand and passed the ball to Hyuuga who was already in that direction. He caught the ball, surprised that the ball had reached him so fast. He then came out of his daze and shot it.

"But I blocked your pass to Izuki! How did you...?"

"It simple, I just changed the pass course."

The ball was then passed to Takao, who was being blocked by Izuki. He looked around the court for his possible options, and so decided to pass to Midorima. Kagami wasn't as close to him as he should. When the shooter received the ball, timing it just right, Kise ran in his direction. But Takao was on him.

"Now, now." He started. "It's me you're dealing with, remember?"

Kise grit his teeth. However, using the tactic he would've used if he was in his body; he moved to the left first, and then to the right. When he moved left again, he then looked to his right, causing Takao to shift to his left. He then broke away from Takao left. In the moment that Midorima was getting into his shooting form, Kise knocked the ball out of his hand.

"Kuroko?" Midorima said shocked.

As it bounced, Kise then redirected it to Izuki who shot to Mitobe. He then landed a hook shot, Kise sighing a relief. _How long can this work?_

"Nice pass Kuroko." Izuki said.

"Nice block!" Hyuuga added. "That surprised me."

"I knew you had it in you!" Kagami smiled.

Takao then passed the ball to Midorima, who dribbled down the court. Kise was then heading into the shooter's direction but Takao came up to block him.

Seeing 'Kuroko' being blocked Kagami decided to stop Midorima. However, Midorima navigated his way around the redhead and shot a three.

_He doesn't just shoots threes, he's fast!_ Kagami thought. _Damn that monster._

"Don't get in my way, Takao." Midorima said to the point guard.

"Don't be so shy." He replied playfully.

After Izuki retrieved the ball, he then passed it to Kagami who dribbled down court. When he came up to Midorima, he passed the ball to Kise who redirected it back in his direction after Kagami broke pass him. However, there Takao was, just in time to stop it. Kise was shocked but at the same time, worried.

_This is ridiculous! Can't they do anything with Takao on the court?_ Riko thought.

_Crap! If he can shoot from anywhere, if he gets away from me for even a second..._

Midorima released the ball and it went perfectly into the net, making Shutoku on twenty-six points while Seirin was on twenty.

Kise then went to Izuki who had the ball dribbling. With a nod, he passed the ball to 'Kuroko' who continued to dribble down the court. Before Takao could reach him, he passed it to Hyuuga instead of Kagami. The captain then passed the ball overhead to Mitobe who landed a hook shot against Otsubo.

"No matter how much you score," Midorima began while dribbling the ball, "you cannot stop my shots once I've released the ball."

"No you don't!" Kagami shouted as he ran towards him. When Midorima jumped to release the ball, Kagami jumped as well but he unable to stop it.

_It's so high. Once it starts, I won't be able to stop it._

_At this rate, I'm more worried about my heart than the score. My heart's going to break!_ Hyuuga thought.

The ball landed in the net smoothly.

_How are we supposed to stop him?_ Riko thought as she looked at the scoreboard. _Only Kuroko could but Takao isn't making it easy for him._ Seirin was on twenty while Shutoku was pulling away at twenty-nine points.

"This isn't good." Kasamatsu said, "Looks like Seirin reached their limit."

Kuroko didn't look at any of the players except Kise. He felt a pain in his heart to see him trying so hard but because of Takao, his efforts are fruitless. _If I were in that situation, what would I have done?_

Back on the court, Kagami started laughing. _He's strong. This is Midorima._ He thought after which he laughed again, this time louder. This caught the attention of everyone.

_Kagami always laughs when he's up against a strong opponent, but something's not right._ Hyuuga thought as he looked with surprise at the redhead. He even caught Kise's attention as well. Looking closer, the former blond saw it. The savage grin that was on his face and the aura that emanated from his body almost made Kise flinch.

"He reminds me of..." he trailed off, but then gasped in realization. "...Aominecchi?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	17. Seirin vs. Shutoku: Second Half

Chapter 17

...

Outside, the skies darkened followed by the roar of thunder. Rain then began to fall. It was almost as though the gods were weeping, for it was the end of the first quarter, Seirin was on twenty-seven points while Shutoku was on forty-five. It was truly a sad time indeed.

Kuroko dashed down the hallway, heading to the bathrooms. He held the camcorder carefully, and was silently praying that he'll make it to Kise in time. When he bends the corner, he saw the blue-haired boy leaning on the wall. His head was down, but Kuroko could feel the blues from where he was.

"Ryou-kun!" he called out. Kise looked up and a smile reached his face. "Here." He gave Kise the camcorder. "I taped the entire first half."

"Thanks…but what good will that do me? That bastard won't leave me alone." Kise said. Kuroko could hear the sadness in his voice. "Because of him, I'm useless."

"You did your best. I like how you tried to manage Takao." Kuroko smiled. Seeing the smile, Kise perked up. "But you won't feel useless any longer. Here's what you'll do…"

_xxxx_

In the Seirin locker room, the mood was melancholic. No one said anything; they didn't even look at each other. Kise had his back turned to everyone, but he had the camcorder that Kuroko gave him.

 _No one's talking._ Riko began her train of thoughts. _What should I do? I have to say something to raise their spirits. What should I…Focus focus!_ She then shook her head to prevent her thoughts from wandering. _Fo-kiss? I said I'd kiss them during the Seiho game! I can't do the same thing again, can I?_

With a trembling fist, she called out to her boys. "Hey, everyone…" she started.

"Coach, it's okay." Hyuuga stopped her before she could go any further. "You're probably going to say something stupid anyway. Read the situation." _I'm glad you're trying to cheer us up, but honestly, I can't imagine us winning._ He added a thought.

"Kuroko what are you doing?" Izuki asked.

"Ryou-kun taped the match. I'm watching Takao-kun." He answered.

"Do you have a plan?"

"You could call it that."

"What?"

"This is really difficult. Right now, I don't know if I can win or not." He then turned around and continued, "But I have a feeling that the gods of teamwork and perseverance will come down and probably smite everyone on Shutoku's team so that we could win."

"You're right." Izuki said. "The gods help those who are in need, right?"

"Yeah," Koganei, Tsuchida and Mitobe nodded in unison.

"Don't give me that!" Hyuuga said as he got to his feet. "No god of teamwork or perseverance will do anything! As a matter of fact, I doubt they exist! That's a crazy thought!"

"But what if they all get stomach aches?" Tsuchida added.

"Don't get carried away. That won't happen either!" Hyuuga said.

"Well compared to that, a second half comeback is way more realistic." Koganei said. Mitobe nodded in agreement.

"Let's just keep running and think after the game is over." Hyuuga said once more. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

_xxxx_

"If they lose this badly, people will think we're weak." Tsugawa said.

"I don't know if we could've beaten them either." Iwamura joined.

"How can the addition of a single member change the team this much?" Kasuga added.

Both teams made their way back onto the court and swiftly got into position. Kise had been subbed off, something that he was actually glad for. Even though Kuroko came and saved him, he still had his whirlpool of emotions to calm.

"Let the third quarter begin!"

"Fight!" Furihata cheered.

 _I wish we had some kind of opening._ Riko thought. _Something…_

"They benched Kuroko." Kasamatsu said. "It's a wise decision to make."

"Yeah, since he can't do anything with that number ten on the court." Kuroko added.

"But they don't even have a strategy."

The game started, Mitobe dribbled the ball with Otsubo trailing him. When the captain came to block him, he quickly passed to Hyuuga who caught it with one hand.

"Hyuuga-senpai! Behind you!" Furihata warned. But before he could so anything, Takao knocked the ball from his hands, from behind and it went straight into Midorima's hands. He then got into position for a three, but Kagami came up on him ready to block.

 _This bastard when did he…?_ Midorima thought, _No more importantly…_ He shot the ball, and it went safely into the net, however, it barely missed Kagami's fingers.

 _I won't lose! More…more…_ Kagami chanted in his head.

Izuki dribbled the ball, and then passed it behind him. The ball landed in Koganei's palms and the cat faced player hadn't expected that.

"Good, they didn't expect him to!" Kawahara said.

"Koganei-senpai can shoot from anywhere!" Furihata added. As he said this, Koganei made the shot, and it went in perfectly. "He made it this time!"

"Why do you have to say that?" he asked.

Seirin was now on twenty-nine while Shutoku was on forty-eight. Takao had the ball dribbling but was blocked by Izuki. _Otsubo-san's open but Kagami-kun you're not guarding Midorima closely enough._ He thought. He then bounced the ball to Midorima with Kagami running up to block him. Midorima then went into his shooting form.

During this, time seemed to have slowed down for Kagami. He then remembered 'Kuroko' saying that he wasn't sure if he could win or not. _You don't give up until the very end. But that means if you give everything you have and still can't do it, you accept the loss. Playing against an opponent who's impossible to beat excites me but ultimately, there's no point if I don't win!_

He then jumped to block Midorima. The shooter released the ball, but Kagami was determined. Stretching his arm, his finger managed to touch the ball causing it to run around the hoop before going in. _Ridiculous! Is this even possible? He's been getting higher and higher all game!_ Midorima thought.

"That was close!" Takao said.

"This is the first time I've seen Midorima's shot go in like that." Kimura added.

 _There it is! Our opening!_ Riko thought.

When Kagami walked by Midorima, the shooter called out to him.

"Hey. You, what's your sign?"

"Me? I'm a Leo." He replied. He then walked off.

"That horoscope is really always right." Midorima said to himself.

The ball was then passed to Hyuuga who shot a three. _Don't lose focus. If you do, it's over_ Hyuuga spoke to himself.

"He might not be as good as Midorima, but he does make a lot of shots." Iwamura said when he saw him take the shot.

"He's the one who finished us off." Kasuga added.

"Well done, but our Midorima is unstoppable." Takao said, holding the ball.

Midorima then broke away from Kagami heading to Takao. The point guard then bounced the ball to him and he faced off once more with Kagami. When Midorima took a step Kagami moved as well to block him. The redhead then remembered his match with Kise, _I won my game against Kise. But that was because of Kuroko. I didn't win by myself. If that's what it takes to win, fine. But if I don't have Kuroko? Will I lose? No I refuse to!_

Midorima then looked in Takao's direction and then broke pass Kagami. Takao came up and screened him out, "It's two on one now!" he said.

"I'll still stop you!" Kagami said unfazed. "Thanks to all the times you showed me, I've finally found your weakness!" He sprinted pass Takao, aiming for Midorima. "The longer the shot, the longer it takes to make the shot!" he jumped with an arm stretched reaching for the ball. His finger managed to touch it.

 _He touched it again? Impossible!_ Midorima thought.

 _This trajectory…_ When Hyuuga saw the ball in the air, he knew something was off. … _could it be?_

The ball bounced off the rim of the net, Mitobe aiming to get the rebound. However, Otsubo was taller and dunked it.

 _Shutoku still has that guy._ Hyuuga thought.

 _I had Koganei-kun take Kuroko-kun's place to stop Midorima-kun with Kagami-kun but at this rate…_ Riko thought.

Kise's eyes narrowed at Kagami. He'd been watching him closely ever since he was benched instead of paying attention to the game. _Just a little more, and I think that I may be able to prove my theory._

Hyuuga passed the ball to Koganei who dribbled towards Shutoku's net. He attempted to make a shot but Otsubo blocked him, slamming the ball into his stomach. He bounced it to Miyaji who immediately passed to Takao. He then looked in Otsubo's direction and saw that Hyuuga and Mitobe were double teaming him.

Takao then passed to Midorima when Izuki had run up to block him. _He's closer this time; he won't need as much time. He can make the shot._

When Midorima went into his shooting form, Kagami ran up to him. As Midorima was about to release the ball, Kagami jumped. When the ball was then released, it landed in Kagami palms which slammed it back down onto the court.

Izuki then ran off toward the ball, "There's always a drawback, no matter how strong the ability. They have another weakness!" he dribbled the ball to Shutoku's net and made a clean shot.

When Kise saw this, he stood up from the bench. He then placed a hand on Riko's shoulder, drawing her attention to him. However, he didn't look away from the court.

"Coach, there it is." He started.

"What are you talking about?"

"I caught a glimpse of it when he made that last alley-oop in the practice match. The strength to stand against the Generation of Miracles, and one of the greatest weapons in basketball. His hidden ability is his innate jumping power."

Riko gasped. "Wh-what?" she then looked at Kagami then back to 'Kuroko'.

"It's there, Coach." He continued. "Those legs are something else."

Up in the audience, Kuroko and Kasamatsu were shocked at what was happening. "He blocked him!" Kasamatsu said. "He really did it!"

"And now Seirin can score." Kuroko added. "Shutoku's court is completely empty."

"Of course. Since he can shoot from so far away, their own goal is that much closer if they manage to block the shot." Kasamatsu explained. "It's the perfect opportunity for a counter."

Back on the court, Kagami stopped to wipe the sweat off his face. _I can't just rely on Kuroko and the Senpai._ Kagami said as he wiped away his sweat.

"Takao, give me the ball!" Otsubo shouted.

"Huh? But they're double teaming you…"

"It doesn't matter!"

Takao then passed the ball to him, in which he turned to make a shot. Mitobe and Koganei jumped to block him but it seemed as though they wouldn't reach.

Kagami saw the problem, and dashed in their direction. _I'll become stronger. Strong enough to win without relying on others! Strong enough to win by myself!_ He reached Otsubo before he could put the ball in the net and knocked it to the ground. The captain was shocked.

 _S-so high!_ Otsubo thought.

 _And fast! How did he close the gap so quickly?!_ Midorima thought.

"Foul! Black 10!" the referee said as he blew his whistle. However, Kagami didn't care about what he was saying. _I'll win! Even if I have to do it by myself._

Up in the audience, Kuroko noticed something different about Kagami. It was a feeling that he had in middle school, and he hoped that his feeling was wrong.

"Kagami's amazing." Kasamatsu said. "His speed and jump power is amazing."

"If he continues like this, I have a bad feeling about what will happen." Kuroko said.

"You mean he may damage his legs, right?"

Kuroko nodded. He didn't want to tell Kasamatsu the real reason for him saying that.

The game continued, Kagami dribbled the ball until he came up on Midorima. He seemed to have passed him with ease and thundered down court to the net.

 _What's with this guy's deal?_ Miyaji thought.

 _Are you telling me that a guy who just graduated from middle school is pressuring our team?_ Kimura thought as he watched Kagami.

 _I've never seen anyone like this before in the country._ Otsubo thought as he saw Kagami jump and dunked the ball. _What is with this extraordinary jumping power?_

"My bad feeling was right." Kuroko said.

"Bad feeling?"

"Sorry Senpai. I wasn't worried that he may damage his legs." He confessed. "I was worried that he may become like me."

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow. "Like you? As in, an extraordinary basketball player?"

"No, feeling as though he must do everything by himself. Not wanting to rely on his teammates…" Kuroko put a hand in his hair. "…thinking as though it's him vs. Shutoku."

Kasamatsu didn't respond.

"Amazing! Nice Kagami!" Koganei said to him as they ran back.

"Could you give me the ball more?" He asked.

"Huh?"

 _I'll do it._ Kagami thought.

When he was back in position, the Shutoku players looked at him with shock. At this moment, Kagami seemed to be unstoppable.

 _I can't believe he can stop Midorima. Even if the time for him to make the shot is his weakness, I can't believe he can block such a high shot._ Takao thought.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves just because you blocked on of Midorima's shots." Miyaji said as he dribbled. He came up against Hyuuga but then decided to shoot a three.

"Miyaji-san, wait! That position…!" Takao shouted. He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Kagami knocked the ball from Miyaji's hands from behind. The ball went straight into Hyuuga's hands. The captain then quickly passed back the ball to Kagami. Miyaji went to block him along with Kimura but then he went into a shooting form.

 _Don't be ridiculous!_ Kimura said as he was falling. _How much longer are you going to keep jumping? Are you sure you're not hanging from a wire?_ Kagami then shot the ball, it landed in the net perfectly.

On the bench, Riko and the other couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"There it is again Coach. Those legs are on another level…he'll need some special training after this."

"I agree."

 _But why do I feel like I'm watching Aominecchi play? What is this uneasy feeling…?_ Kise thought with worry.

Looking at the scoreboard, Seirin was now on forty-seven, while Shutoku was on fifty-six. Midorima dribbled the ball, with Kagami in front of him.

"Hmph." Midorima started. He saw how hard Kagami panted and had an idea of what was happening. "I acknowledge your strength. However…you will not close the gap any further." He then held the ball.

"What did you say?" Midorima then jumped to shoot the ball, "No you don't!" when he was about to jump, he felt the pain in his legs. The ball was then released and it went into the net.

"Sorry, but it's the truth."

"Kagami!" Koganei called out.

"He couldn't jump." Kuroko said.

"It's because he's out of gas."

"Out of gas? Already?"

"Probably. His body isn't strong enough to keep jumping and running like that." Kasamatsu explained. "He must have overexerted himself jumping all over the place. On top of that…"

"…he was subbed in for a quarter of the Seiho game." Kuroko finished. "Having to go around that defense is finally starting to affect him."

"Exactly."

Even Seiho were noticing Kagami. "This doesn't look good." Kasuga said. "And he's not the only one who's about to run out of gas." His eyes landed on the Seirin players who all had their bodies drenched with sweat.

Kagami continued to dribble towards Midorima and Kimura.

 _You're pushing yourself too hard!_ Hyuuga thought. _And it's not time yet you idiot!_ He then ran off towards the redhead, calling out to him. "Kagami, wait!" But it was too late. Kagami had gone for a shot but Midorima blocked it. Otsubo then caught the ball and passed it to Kimura who made a shot.

"Damn it." Kagami said.

Kise sat on the bench, and made a sigh.

"Third quarter is over!" the referee announced after the buzzer was sounded. On Seirin's bench were the players who were on the court hydrating themselves while the rest stood before them along with Riko.

"Damn it!" Kagami cursed.

"Kagami, you're getting too worked up." Izuki said. "Pay more attention to your surroundings."

"That's right." Hyuuga added after he took a drink of water. "And that wasn't the right time to go, you should've passed first."

"What good would passing the ball around have done?" Kagami asked not even sparing a look to Hyuuga.

"What?"

"I'm the only one that who stands a chance against Shutoku."

Hearing this and seeing Kagami's expression, Kise realized what Kuroko had been talking about.

_xxxx_

_Kuroko had just made a three with Kise supervising him. They were having their usual training sessions, but it was now time for Kuroko to master making threes._

" _Kurokocchi, I can understand that you want to make it to the top," he started, "but that promise you made with Kagamicchi sounded as though you were_ _targeting_ _the generation of miracles."_

" _It's because I am."_

" _Eh?"_

" _You have no idea what kind of monsters you have become. Heartless, and cold towards those whoever you play. Look, how would you feel if you're playing against a team who are competing with themselves, and are ignoring you? How would you feel if you're being crushed both physically and mentally while playing the sport you love? How would you feel if your teammate says to you that he doesn't remember how to catch your passes? I hated the empty feeling after we won a game and cheered like we used to."_

" _I…" Kise said, realizing the truth in Kuroko's words._

" _Look back at our match. If you had played with Kaijou instead by yourself, I don't think that Seirin would have won. You would have been more dangerous. Basketball is a team sport, Kise-kun. It's more fun that way when you win a match with everyone and you're celebrating together."_

" _I see. I guess I have some learning to do."_

" _Seirin is the best teacher for that."_

_xxxx_

It made Kise furious. And what's even worse, the Kagami he's seeing now reminds him of Aomine so much that it hurts.

"We don't need team play now. We need me to score."

"Hey, what are you saying?" Fukuda asked.

"That's different from being self-centered!" Koganei added.

Kise couldn't take anymore of this. In his heart, he cursed himself for so stupid in the past. He cursed himself for not listening to Kuroko that time in Teikou. He walked up to Kagami and without a word, landed a punch on his left cheek, surprising everyone. Kagami dropped off the bench onto his back.

"You _brute_!" Kise shouted.

"Kuroko-kun!" Riko called out.

"Damn it, Kuroko, you bastard!" Kagami said as he got up. He then grabbed Kise's shirt and pulled him closer.

"You can't play basketball by yourself!" he shouted again.

"As long as we play nice together you don't care if we lose? There's no point if we don't win!" Kagami shouted back.

_Slap._

That seemed to echo. Kise slapped Kagami across his cheek. "There's no point if you win by yourself! How can we beat the Generation of Miracles if you're thinking like that?! Huh?! Even if we beat Shutoku as a team that can't trust each other no one will be happy."

"Don't be naïve!" Kagami roared as he punched Kise to the ground. "If we don't win, those are nothing more than pretty words!"

"Then, what is victory?" Kise got up. He then went to Kagami and gave him another slap after which he pushed him so that he would fall on the bench. Placing a knee beside the redhead, Kise grabbed Kagami's uniform and pulled him into his face. "No matter how many more points you have at the end of the game, if you're not happy, that's not victory!" He screeched.

Kise then continued, "Basketball is a team sport you fool!" he slapped him again. "A team watches each other's back! Izuki-senpai is a great ball handler; Hyuuga can shoot threes that you _can't,_ Koganei-senpai can shoot from anywhere! Now tell me, when you hog the fucking ball to yourself, do you know how many points you're taking away from the team?! This match isn't Shutoku vs. Kagami!" he then grabbed the redhead and turned his head to the scoreboard. "It's Shutoku vs. Seirin!"

Everyone was speechless. _It's the split personality!_ Was the unison thought of the Seirin team.

"You stupid _bastard._ " Kise hissed. But then they heard a hiccup. Kise could feel the tears stinging his eyes. "Please, Kagami-kun…" he trailed off. He held his head down but he still gripped on his shirt. "Please don't lose your humanity; please don't grow apart from us." He then looked up, "Please don't end up like me…" he released Kagami and turned away from them. The tears ran out his eyes like torrents, and he couldn't stop them. He went to stand a far off, feverishly wiping the tears that won't stop. Riko was with 'Kuroko'. She didn't say anything but she held the crying boy in an embrace.

"Kuroko," Kagami said. "I'm sorry."

Kise looked him in the eye. "You better be," he hiccupped. "You made me cry!"

"I…"

"And you lack delicacy!" he added while rubbing his cheek. "Mou~ How could you do this to my cheek?"

"Haah? Look what you did to mine! You punched me once and slapped me three times!"

"You deserved it you brute."

"Kuroko…" Kagami called out. _I can't believe I caused the other Kuroko to come out…I should make a note to never get Kuroko upset again._

"That-that's right." Koganei said to ease the mood. "It's not as though we want to lose."

"We're just saying there's no reason for you to do it all by yourself." Izuki added.

"Do you have any objections?" Hyuuga asked.

"No, but…well…" he started. "Of course I'd rather be happy when we win."

"Now that Kuroko's calmed Kagami down…" Hyuuga said changing the subject. "The situation hasn't changed. What should we do?"

"Kagami-kun, how many more times can you jump?" Riko asked.

"Jump? You mean those super jumps that stopped Midorima?" Hyuuga asked.

"They push your natural jumping power to the limit, so they're exhausting. On top of that, your body isn't strong enough yet. There's a limit on how many times you can do that in a game."

"I can still jump! Any amount of times!" He answered.

"You don't need to act tough right now." She then looked down at his feet. "Two's your limit."

"Two?" Izuki asked.

"How are we supposed to stop Midorima with two?" Hyuuga asked.

With a look up at Kagami, Riko then said, "Keep on for the deciding moment of the game and use the other to stop the first shot of the fourth quarter."

"I have an idea as well." Kise perked up. "I can try out a new pass."

"Your new pass?" Riko asked.

"Why haven't you said anything before?" Hyuuga asked.

"I was observing you. Only a few people can catch it." Kise explained. "But in his current condition only Kagami-kun may be one of them." He then added. "However, just passing to Kagami-kun won't work until the end. We can continue with what we were doing before, Izuki-senpai."

"We can do it." Izuki said. "Besides, my eyes are cramping up."

"Hn? What does that mean?" Koganei asked.

His question was left unanswered, as the buzzer sounded. Both teams made their way back onto the court,

"Go for some shots in the last quarter." Hyuuga said to Izuki.

"All right."

"Senpai…" Kagami called. "Sorry about that."

"Huh? Oh don't worry about it." A small smile reached on Kagami's face. "That's what I'd like to say." The look on Hyuuga's face was absolutely venomous. "But the way you said that, I'll hit you later."

"Hey, we're starting Hyuuga." Izuki said.

"Well, it'll have to wait." He continued, "Laugh or cry, we've got ten minutes. "Let's go!"

"Let the fourth quarter begin!"

In the audience, Kuroko was seething. He hadn't forgiven Kagami for making Kise get quadrupled training the other day but now he saw him punch the smaller boy. _I'll kill him later._ But what also troubled him was the way he saw Kise shout at Kagami and continuously slapped him. He saw rage but when he saw the sadness in Kise's eyes, his heart felt as though it was going to break.

"What happened down there?" Kasamatsu asked.

"I don't know, but by the looks of it," Kuroko said as the players walked onto the court. "Tetsucchi calmed him down."

"Hmm? Kuroko's playing?" Kasamatsu said. _What do they think they're doing? As long as Takao is on the court, his invisibility is no trump card. Or do they have a plan?_

"Of course he is, Senpai." Kuroko answered. "You'll see soon."

Hyuuga dribbled the ball was blocked by Kimura. Kise and Takao were facing off with each other, running in Hyuuga's direction.

 _Even if he plays, it'll be just like the first half._ Takao said to himself. _No, I can see him even better!_

Hyuuga then passed the ball to Kagami, who had Midorima following him. The two ran until they came upon Otsubo. Kagami then passed the ball left to Mitobe who landed a shot.

 _He's not charging in by himself like he did before._ Otsubo thought.

 _Getting punched and slapped by Kuroko must've cooled his head. However, you have a little stamina left._ Midorima said to himself as he made an indication for the ball to be passed to him. Otsubo complied.

"They're quick to restart!" Koganei said.

"Kagami!" Tsuchida called out.

 _You cannot stop my shots anymore._ Midorima thought as he got into shooting form.

 _I'm almost running on empty,_ Kagami thought as he ran towards Midorima. _But…_ He ran up to Midorima and once more, knocked the ball from his hands.

"What?" he said in shock. _He can still jump? But I know he's nearly out of energy. Doesn't he intend to save everything for the end?_

The ball landed into the arms of Hyuuga who then passed it to Izuki who quickly shot the ball. _Go in!_ He prayed. It went in, earning three points.

"Coach, are you sure we should've our first of two so early?" Furihata asked.

"It's a bluff." She answered.

"What?" the boys asked in unison.

"Starting now, we can barely cover him normally, so we can't stop Midorima-kun if he shoots. However, Midorima won't take an impossible shot as long as we make think Kagami might still have those unbelievable jumps left in him. At the very least, I think we can reduce the number of shots he takes." She then leaned forwards, _so the rest is up to you, Kuroko-kun._

Midorima and Kagami faced off on the court, while Kise had Takao.

"Looks like they're really counting on you." Takao started. "But no matter what you try, I'll stop you." Kise didn't say anything. "You can't escape my hawk eye."

This was when Kise smirked. "That's even better."

 _Without any blind spots, your misdirection won't work against Takao._ Hyuuga thought. "What are you going to do, Kuroko?" he then asked him.

"Actually, it's probably not completely ineffective against him." Izuki spoke from behind the captain.

"What?"

"Takao's hawk eyes field of vision is so wide he can see the entire court. That's why he can continue to watch Kuroko even if his attention is directed elsewhere. So…instead of directing attention away from himself, Kuroko used the opposite of misdirection instead. In other words, he drew attention to himself."

The moment he said this, they realized that neither Takao nor 'Kuroko' had moved from their spot. The point guard then looked in Kise's direction and was shocked to see that he hadn't budged.

 _What? He's close._ Takao thought. But as soon as Takao took his eyes off Kise, the former blond shifted his position. _I lost sight of him, you're kidding!_ He saw Izuki dribbling down the court and then made a pass in Kagami's direction. _Calm down. Even if I can't find Kuroko, I still know Kagami's location. As long as I can jump in between the ball and Kagami..._ He then made a move for the ball,

"I don't think so." Kise said. He then ran towards the ball and then pushed it forwards with his palm.

 _He punched the ball? And catching that couldn't have been easy!_ Takao thought. _I can't believe this!_

The ball flew past Takao's fingers at a blinding speed, Kagami catching it. The redhead then made his way to the net but he had to get pass Midorima. Remembering what Riko told him about his jumps, decided to discard it. _I know but if we don't make something happen here when are we going to do it?!_ He thought. He then jumped; this caused Midorima to jump as well, hoping he would have blocked the dunk.

"No you don't!" he shouted. However, since Kagami's jumps were better, he managed to get the ball in. The shooting guard was stunned.

"Kuroko," Kagami jogged up to the blue-haired boy when they were heading back. "It sucks but the Coach was right. I don't think I can jump anymore. I'm going to have to trick Midorima into thinking that I can cover him. I don't really want to say this, but the rest is up to you." He gave a pat on the back.

Inside, Kise blanched. _The rest is up to me? Isn't that something you'd say to an ace?_ But the only thing he found coming out of his mouth was, "okay."

The game continued with Kise redirecting the ball to any player who was nearby the net. At first it was Hyuuga who made a three, and then it was Mitobe. Takao kept losing sight of him, and for this, Kise made sure to get the ball around with Izuki.

With two minutes remaining, there was only a one basket difference between Seirin and Shutoku. This prompted Shutoku's coach to call a time out.

"I didn't think you'd catch up this much." Midorima said to 'Kuroko'.

"Midorima-kun, you once said dunks are shots that can only score two points. Your threes are certainly impressive. But I think inspiring dunks, like the one he just made, are worth more than the points they score." Kise replied. He then walked off to their bench. _I think at times, I'm really into Tetsucchi's character…_

In the audience there was a silence as the unbelievable had happened. Seirin had caught up with Shutoku.

"That's the last time out." Iwamura said. "Seirin's got control of the game now."

"I wonder who will win." Kasuga said.

"Is he going to be alright running on fumes?" Kuroko said.

"You could argue that that wasn't the time to force a dunk." Kasamatsu said. "I mean, there's not much point to dunking, anyway."

Hearing that Kuroko inwardly sweat dropped, _Players who specialize in shooting threes…why must they all hate dunking?_ "I bet he loves to show off," Kuroko then said.

"So do you." He looked in Kuroko's direction with a face. His face got more serious. "Will Shutoku break away, or will Seirin overtake them? It's a deciding time-out."

"Of course it be the latter, Senpai." Kuroko chuckled. "As much as he looks that way, Tetsucchi hates losing."

The time-out was over and the game continued. Shutoku had the ball, and then it was passed by Miyaji to Midorima. Unfortunately, it never made it to its destination. Kise knocked the ball away before it could reach into Midorima's hands.

"Kuroko got it!" Kawahara shouted.

"I thought they might try that!" Riko said.

"What?"

"Once Kagami-kun's trick was revealed, their passes would focus on Midorima-kun. It's like they're telling us where they're passing to!"

Hyuuga received the ball, and headed to Shutoku's net. However, Otsubo was behind him. As soon as took the shot, the ball was knocked from his hands.

Watching the match, Kuroko noticed something odd about it. "This is kind of creepy. I thought it would've gotten more intense." Kuroko said.

"Since Shutoku dropped their pace, the score's been frozen in place." Kasamatsu replied. "One more minute left."

At this time, Midorima made a three. This made Shutoku move up to eighty-one points. Seirin and Shutoku made their way to the other side of the court, dribbling and blocking. By the time they reached the three point line, Hyuuga stopped but Izuki and the others were a bit further.

"Izuki!" he called out. Without a word, the point guard passed the ball to him and he made a three. It was so perfect that it seemed effortless.

"All right!" he cheered.

"Seirin got their own three! They're only two points behind now!" Iwamura said.

"This match is as good as anybody's!" Tsugawa added.

Back on the bench, Koganei was sweating from anxiety. "Eighteen more seconds!"

Riko then got up and shouted, "There's no time! Get them!"

Kise knocked the ball away from Takao into Izuki's direction but then it was knocked out by Kimura.

"Seirin ball!" the referee shouted.

"Fifteen seconds left!" Kuroko said. He was almost at the edge of his seat.

"This is Seirin's last chance." Kasamatsu said. But then, they were shocked when they saw Otsubo moving to block Hyuuga.

"They're doing everything they can to stop Seirin's threes." Kuroko said. "This is not good."

"Indeed as they need to make a three right now. If Hyuuga can't make this, it's over."

"Don't worry; I have a feeling that he'll make it."

Back on the court, Otsubo addressed Hyuuga.

"I acknowledge you skill. That's why I'll do everything I can to stop you."

"I don't want to owe you anymore." He replied. "You just gave me a pretty passionate block." He then to the bench and saw the others cheering. _I've still got a lot of passion myself. Last year we faced reality when they tripled our score. But because of my love for basketball I managed to make it this far._

Mitobe passed the ball to Izuki who dribbled it. He then looked across and that's when Hyuuga moved heading towards the centre line. Kagami saw this as well, and went to screen out Otsubo.

 _A screen! But it's weak! I can catch up!_ Otsubo thought. He then spotted the captain. _What? He's so far from the three point line…He's going to shoot from there?_

Izuki sent the ball to Hyuuga who caught it with ease. He quickly went into shooting form and released. The players watched as the ball, without as much height as Midorima's went in smoothly.

"Did we win?" Kagami asked.

"You haven't won as yet." Takao said as he passed the ball to Midorima.

"Let me tell you why I am determined to shoot so far away." Midorima started. "It's not simply because my shots are worth three points. It's not unusual for comebacks to happen in the last seconds of a close game. Sometimes, they are the result of desperate shots. I will not leave it up to chance. That is why I end games with a buzzer beater." He said as he got into shooting form. "That is what it means to do everything humanly possible."

"This isn't good!" Riko shouted. Even Kise was surprised. "He caught Kuroko-kun and everyone else by surprise! Kagami-kun can't jump anymore!"

 _We're going to win! Move legs!_ He then bent his knees and…jumped.

 _Impossible! He should be at his limit!_ Takao thought.

But then Kagami noticed something. Midorima wasn't in front of him. He faked.

"I believed in you." Midorima said. "I believed that even at your limit, you would overcome it and jump.

 _What kind of heart does he have?_ Hyuuga thought. _A fake with only few seconds to go? Is this what the Generation of Miracles can do?_

In the moment that Midorima straighten to take the shot, Kise knocked the ball to the ground.

"Kuroko!" Midorima said shocked.

"The gods of perseverance and teamwork really are smiling down upon us." Kise said.

The buzzer then sounded signalling the end of the match.

Seirin's players cheered, while the crowd and Shutoku were stunned. Kuroko exhaled a breath, putting a hand on his chest.

"My heart almost failed right there." He said.

"That...that was unbelievable." Kasamatsu then said. "A last second steal."

"That's Tetsucchi for you." Kuroko added. He was proud of Kise, seeing that the boy had actually used his head and ran for the ball. _But, he couldn't have known that Midorima would fake. Could it be...?_ Kuroko realized what happened. "He believed that Kagami-kun would jump." He said to himself.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing."

"Eighty-two to eighty-one, Seirin!"

"Thank you very much!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	18. Encounter at the Okonomiyaki Restaurant

Chapter 18

...

"Let's go home!" Riko said.

"No...wait...sorry..." Hyuuga started with a groan. "Seriously...wait...We just played two games against kings." He, Mitobe, Izuki and Koganei were all trembling from exhaustion.

"Oh sorry," She said. _They're like zombies._

"We'll be fine, after we rest for a few minutes, but Kagami..." Hyuuga continued, "...He pushed himself too hard."

"I can't even stand, let alone move." He replied. He was also trembling in the corner with a hand supporting his back.

"But we can't stay here forever. Let's go into the closest restaurant. Someone carry Kagami-kun."

Kise then stood up. "Don't even look at me. I can't manage that monster."

"Then let's decide with rock, paper, scissors." Hyuuga said.

But to Kise's horror, he lost…Which meant he was going to carry Kagami.

Kise cursed his luck.

They then moved of the dressing room, but by the time they exited the building, they noticed that the rain was still falling. While everyone took out their umbrellas, Kise groaned aloud. Pulling Kagami wasn't as easy as he thought.

"Let's go boys! I remember passing an Okonomiyaki restaurant when we were coming!" Riko said cheerily.

They finally reached the restaurant, Kise sighed a relief. However, when they entered, it was then that he noticed Kagami's face. The taller boy was absolutely fuming with anger.

"Kuroko, you'll pay for this." He seethed.

"It's not my fault you're so heavy." Kise replied. In the midst of their mini argument, Kagami's eyes caught Kasamatsu.

"Kise and Kasamatsu!?"

"Hey no honorifics?" Kasamatsu asked.

"Hey." Kuroko simply said.

Everyone then went to take seats, Kise choosing to sit with Kasamatsu and Kuroko. Being his partner, Riko suggested that Kagami should sit there with him as well. At first, the mood was a bit awkward, so Kuroko decided to break it.

"Why are we sitting at the same table?" he asked. "And Kagamicchi, why are you covered in mud?" Kise snickered.

"I fell. Forget about it." He then continued, "And don't call me Kagamicchi."

"If we don't eat, they'll burn." Kasamatsu joined, totally ignoring the atmosphere.

"Oh right." But then Kuroko remembered that Kagami had punched Kise. Swiftly, he held his body's chin, and turned the boy's head into his direction. He then placed his index on the area and asked, "Does your cheek still hurt?"

"No not really." Kise answered with a soft voice. "I guess the joy from winning is overriding the pain."

"Oi! Get away from Kuroko, Kise!" Kagami roared. He never trusted the blond around his partner ever since the practice match where he "kidnapped" him and had the entire team searching. 

Kuroko then shot Kagami a look, before standing up. He then leaned over the table and grabbed him by his shirt. His face was as blank as ever. "If you ever touch him again, I'll kill you." Even though his tone had no emotion in it, Kagami shivered.

Kise, watching the exchange chuckled in his seat. The door then opened, but no one paid attention to it. It was then that they heard a voice, that they turned around to see who spoke.

"Excuse me!" Takao said as he walked closer. "Sir, do you have two...?" he broke off as he saw the people present. Midorima then followed in behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Hyuuga asked. "Where are the others?"

Takao chuckled. "We lost our Senpai while Shin-chan was crying."

"Hey!" the green haired shooter retorted.

"We figured might as well we get something to eat."

"We're going somewhere else!" Midorima left, causing Takao to follow. However a sudden wind picked up followed by a downpour made them quickly retreat inside. Seeing their facial expressions, Kise doubled his lips to not burst out laughing. Takao's eyes then caught Kasamatsu and widened with shock.

"Are you Kaijou's Kasamatsu-san?" he asked.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I saw you in Basketball Monthly!" Takao said as he made his way over. "You're nationally famous as a strong point guard! Oh wow! As someone who plays the same position, I'd love to hear your stories! Do you mind if we join you? Let's go talk over there." He then prompted the captain to leave his seat and follow him. That was the only seat left for Midorima.

"That table is ridiculous!" Hyuuga said.

"Hey, hey!" Riko joined. "Isn't this exciting?"

"You wanted this to happen, didn't you?" Kasamatsu asked Takao.

"What? Of course not." He answered playfully.

"Why don't we order something?" Kise said. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whale."

"I'm already full, so I'm fine with what we already have." Kuroko said.

"Hmm?" the look Kise gave him made him sweat bullets. "Is that so?"

"I'm surprised you could eat that." Midorima said while Kagami was ordering. Kuroko inwardly sighed a relief, glad that Midorima changed the subject.

"Why would you say that?"

"You're ordering too much!" Midorima shouted when he realized that Kagami was still ordering.

"What sort of incantation is that?" Kise asked.

"It's all right. Kagamicchi seems like the type who can eat it all by himself." Kuroko answered. No one realized something strange that 'Kuroko' wondered about Kagami's eating volume, and 'Kise' seeming like he was used to it. "I doubt he's even human."

"Well, he is a monster." Kise answered. He then perked up. "By the way, I went to watch your match the other day."

"Which one?" Kuroko asked.

"Yokohama." He answered. "Did you tell the coach to take a time-out?" he then asked.

"Ah yeah," Kuroko answered. "I had completely figured out Yokohama's play, so I decided to convey it to the players."

"Figured out? You should rephrase that. It seemed to me that you ripped them apart and laid them bare." By this time, Midorima and Kagami were listening in on their conversation. Neither boy knew of this though.

"Really?" Kuroko had a smirk.

"It was then that you reassured me."

"Of what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That you're even more dangerous on the bench than the court." He chuckled. Small sounds of surprise escaped the mouths of Kagami and Midorima, but Kuroko and Kise seemed to be oblivious.

They then got over that in time to hear what Kise was saying. "...what is it that you have? Eyes of the gods or something? Are you even human?"

"Oi, oi!" Kagami shouted to gain their attention. He couldn't hold it in any longer. "What are you talking about?"

"Kagami!" Midorima then called to the redhead. Hearing this ruckus, made the others look in their direction.

"What is it, Kagamicchi?" Kuroko asked.

"What's that about you being more dangerous on the bench than on the court?! I played against you before and to me, it seems to be the other way around!"

"Oh, you were listening?" Kise said. "It's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversation."

"It's nothing." Kuroko quickly answered. "Don't worry."

"What they probably mean is that due to Kise's abilities, when he's on the bench he's more able to copy another player's moves easier." Midorima joined.

"Midorima-kun's right." Kise lied. Kuroko nodded in agreement.

After a while, their food arrived. Kagami had the most while Kise and Midorima had the same amount. At first, Kuroko was worried about the volume of food that Kise might order, but he realized that the boy had some moderation...when eating out.

Looking at Midorima's face, Kuroko said, "I know defeat is an awful feeling, but at least eat your food, Midorimacchi."

"I just lost to him!" Midorima raised his voice. "If anything, I can't believe you have no problem sitting with them. You already lost to them once."

"And that was my fault. But..." he trailed off, "...should we meet in Inter-High, I don't think Kaijou would lose to Seirin."

This caused Kise and Kagami to pause what they were doing. Kagami then swallowed and said, "Ha! Bring it on."

"Kise, you've changed a little."

"Really? How?" Kuroko was a bit frightened, as he wondered if Midorima had sensed something.

"Your eyes...they're strange."

"Strange?" Kuroko asked. "Hmm, maybe it's because I've been practicing a lot more. Also, I've been thinking that it's pretty fun playing basketball with the guys from Kaijou." It wasn't a lie. Every dreadful practice that Kuroko attended, every match that they played together...Kuroko had fun. He actually loved Kaijou, but at the nagging at the back of his head kept telling him that it won't last.

"It seems I was mistaken." Midorima said. "You have not changed at all. You have simply reverted to a state before our three consecutive championships."

"And what's wrong with that?" Kise asked. "Basketball with Seirin is a blast."

"How you change is up to you. However, I'm not playing basketball for fun."

"Midorimacchi, I'm sure that somewhere within that heart of yours, you find that basketball with Shutoku is fun." Kuroko said.

"You guys think too much." Kagami joined in. "Of course we play basketball because it's fun."

"What did you say? How dare you speak like you understand when you nothing at all ―" He broke off as the food that Takao was flipping, landed on top of his head. "We can talk about that later." He then stood up from his seat. "Takao, come here."

"Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He then dragged the boy outside, after which they heard a scream from hawk-eyed point guard. After couple seconds, Midorima walked in, looking as though nothing happened.

"Kagami, let me tell you one thing."

"Hn?"

"There are two members of the Generation of Miracles in Tokyo. I, myself and a man named Aomine Daiki. You will face him in the championship leagues. He is the same type of player as you."

"What? I don't really get it, but he's pretty strong too right?" he asked.

Midorima took up his bag and placed the money on the table. "Well, best of luck."

Kise placed a finger on his chin with a worried expression on his face. Ever since the switch, he'd been re-watching their Teikou matches copying moves that he taught and is still in the process of teaching to Kuroko. It wouldn't be a good thing if _he_ faced Aomine as he is now. As a matter of fact, he has a feeling that Seirin as they are will surely lose.

When Midorima was out of the restaurant, he then turned to Kuroko.

"When is your next match?" he whispered.

"Thursday." Kuroko answered. He had a feeling what Kise was thinking. "It's the prelim finals."

"Good. I'll ask your father if you could spend the weekend," Kise whispered. But then he looked over to where the rest of the Seirin were. "As they are, they don't stand a chance against that monster."

Kagami almost choked on his food. He wanted to say something but he caught the look on 'Kuroko' and 'Kise's' face, he saw that they were serious. _Just how strong is this Aomine Daiki?_

They continued to eat their fill and chatting away until the time got darker. Looking at his watch, Kasamatsu saw that it was time for them to go.

"Sorry, we've got to go." Kasamatsu said to Riko. He then got up and went to Kuroko's table. "Sorry," he started, "But Kise, the time's far spent. Remember, we have a match to prepare for."

Kuroko groaned. "Analyzing them is going to be a pain." He then turned to Kise and Kagami, "See you."

"Yeah, sure." Kise replied. Kagami nodded. When they had left, Riko couldn't help but stare on at where the Kaijou players were standing not too long ago. _What does Kise-kun mean by that?_ She asked herself. But then, she came back to reality when she heard Koganei begin speaking.

"Coach! We should go home before my sister kills me!"

"Ah sure."

Slowly, everyone filed out of the restaurant, chatting noisily as they did so.

"All right! On to the championship leagues!" Hyuuga said.

"Yeah!" they chorused.

But then Hyuuga realized that 'Kuroko' wasn't there. "Huh? Where did Kuroko go?" he asked. As if on cue, Kise walked up to them with a box in his hands.

"Guys..." Kise started. They all turned around to face the boy.

"Huh? Where did you...?" Hyuuga trailed off.

"I found this dog."

"A dog?"

"Don't take him with you!" Hyuuga shouted.

"That's terrible!" Izuki joined. "How could you say that, Hyuuga?"

"What are we going to do with that?" Koganei asked.

"But guys...isn't he adorable?" Kise asked. The reason he wanted to keep the dog was because the dog's eyes reminded him of Kuroko.

At this point, Riko exited from the restaurant. She made her way to the boys due to the ruckus they were creating. "You're bothering the neighbours." She said. Her eyes then caught the dog on top of Kise's head. Immediately, she fell in love. She took the dog and spun with it, all while squealing in delight.

"He's so fluffy! He's so cute!" she squealed. "Where did you come from? You're so cute!"

"Coach, calm down." Hyuuga said to bring the girl back from 'cuteland'. When she stopped, she looked up at the dog.

"Doesn't he look like someone?" she asked. She then looked at Kise's eyes and then back to the dog's.

"The eyes! The eyes!" Izuki shouted.

"Oh crap! He's already become attached!" Tsuchida added.

"Okay! Your name will be Tetsuya number 2!" Koganei shouted.

"Don't name him!" Hyuuga opposed. "It'll only make it harder to leave him!"

"I can't believe people still abandon their dogs." Furihata said. But no one replied as Riko called out for their attention.

"Hey, I've been wondering..." she started. "What are you doing Kagami-kun?"

"Uh well," he began with a terrified look on his face, "I really can't handle dogs."

The moment Kagami said that Kise had to force down a laugh. He couldn't believe that this was the guy who was so fierce and dominating in the Shutoku match not too long ago. _We'll be having some fun Kagamicchi._ He grinned inwardly.

_xxxx_

Kise gazed at the ceiling, thinking about Seirin. He found that he couldn't sleep no matter how he turned so he decided to get up. He went and sat around the desk that was in the left corner of the room by the window. Quickly, he took out a pen and a notebook from the drawers and began his jottings.

"Let's see, Izuki-senpai is alright so far…" he trailed off, tapping his chin with his pen. "…I wonder if I should teach him Tetsucchi's Cyclone and Ignite Passes?" he then scribbled after he wrote Izuki's name. He then went onto the next person he had in mind ― Hyuuga. "Hmm, his shots never miss, but he isn't unstoppable like Midorimacchi. What to do with him?" he paused and stared at the paper for a couple of minutes. He then closed his eyes and remembered the matches they played…Shutoku and Seiho especially.

"Ah!" he said with a smile. "I wonder if he could become a shooter that can shoot even if he's in the most uncomfortable position." Kise then grinned as he began to write fervently. He then went through all of Seirin's players ― weaknesses and strengths included.

After he was finished, many minutes later, he then sent a text message to Kuroko, informing the boy of what he had planned for Seirin.

_Subject: Seirin's training_

_Good night, Tetsucchi!_

_Here's what I've planned for Seirin in a nut-shell, when you come over we'll go more in detail. First I was thinking of teaching Izuki-senpai your Cyclone and Ignite passes. Hyuuga-senpai will try to shoot out of his comfort zone. Mitobe-senpai and Fukuda will just receive strength training…that means more weights for them!_

_Furihata will learn some point guarding techniques…but I don't know from whom yet. I was thinking of making Kawahara a shooting guard since he plays small forward should anything happen to Hyuuga-senpai._

_Koganei-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai…I honestly don't know what to do with them yet, so I just gave them strength training…_

He flipped the phone closed and crawled back into bed. As soon as he was about to shut his eyes, he heard it vibrate. Opening it, he saw that it was a message from Kuroko.

_Re: Seirin's Training._

_Sounds good. I'll ask Kasamatsu-senpai if he could teach Furihata-kun. I'll think up something for Koganei-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai for you…when I get the time._

Kise didn't reply, as he was now feeling sleepy. He returned to bed and closed his eyes. "I just hope that this will be enough to stand against Aominecchi and Momoicchi when we face them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	19. Kaijou vs. Hiranuma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Blank dialogues are referring to what people in the audience are saying. Sorry if this match isn't as exciting as the matches in canon…writing a match from scratch while learning the different moves and shots in basketball isn't easy.**
> 
> **Also, Hiranuma's 'Iron Wall' defense was inspired by Datekyo Tech. from Haikyuu!**
> 
> **N:Bank shot** ― is a shot that relies on the ball bouncing off the backboard and into the basket. (Hayakawa)
> 
>  **Hesitation dribble** ― the ball handler pauses before making their next move, often a prelude to another dribbling move. This essentially freezes the defender and keeps them guessing. (Kuroko)
> 
>  **Between the legs dribble** ― ball-handler bounces the ball off of the floor between his legs and catches it with the other hand on the opposite side of his body. It is used as a safer way to cross over while directly facing a defender, but requires more slowing of forward momentum than the crossover dribble. (Kuroko)
> 
>  **Finger roll shot** ― A finger roll is performed when a player shoots the ball with one hand during a layup and then lifts his fingers, rolling the ball into the basket. The rotation produced provides the ball with a soft touch, and the ball will roll around the rim and then drop into the basket. (Kuroko)

Chapter 19

...

_After their match against Yokohama Gakuen, Kaijou went on a winning streak. Every round was won by them with ease, Kuroko only playing for a handful of those matches._

_Their second match was against Kanagawa prefectural high which they beat them 100-65. Their third match was against Yokosuka Sogo which they beat them 120-57. Their fourth match was the best for them; it was against Totsuka High. They destroyed them 153-43. In the semi-finals, they were up against that was second to them last year. Once more, Kaijou crushed them 110-76. It was now time for the finals. The school that they had to face was Hiranuma High._

_xxxx_

Kuroko dribbled the ball until he reached the three-point line. He then got into shooting form and shot the ball. Luckily, it went in. Even though shooting threes in that position is extremely uncomfortable, he found that he was getting better at it. His eyes then caught Moriyama as he landed one of his famous irregular shots. _If only I could find my own shooting style too…_

"After we win this, we're going to be in the leagues." he heard Shinohara said. He was talking to Matsumoto. "I hope we can take Inter-High this year."

"Well, it won't be easy. That Generation of Miracles are monsters, are you forgetting that?" Matsumoto then turned to Kuroko, "Right, Kise."

"Yes, but if we put our heads and hearts to it anything could happen. Look at Seirin. They won against Seiho and Shutoku in the same day. And Shutoku has Midorimacchi."

"You do have a point there." Then suddenly, the gymnasium went into an uproar. Entering were Hiranuma High school, clad in their green glory. As they made their way onto the court, Kuroko could feel the tension escalating so much that for a while, he was frozen.

"Well, aren't they vicious?" Kasamatsu came up beside him and said. His voice was laced with sarcasm. "You know what this means, right?"

"Yes, Senpai." Kuroko answered.

The warm-up session continued, however, it was pretty stifling. There was something frightening about the Hiranuma players that made Kuroko get nervous. Hiranuma was a defense specialist, they were somewhat similar to Seiho in that aspect; however, they didn't use old martial arts techniques. And what was worst, all their players were huge. Height, muscles…everything one could think of. After all, if Seiho was the King of Defense in Tokyo, then Hiranuma would be in Kanagawa. Seeing them, Kuroko felt like he was going up against a wall.

"This is serious." Moriyama said. "Seeing them now made me feel like what we played against last year was nothing."

"Indeed." Kobori joined. "Where do they keep getting all those big players from anyway?"

"There's probably a factory somewhere." Nakamura answered. This comment made the guys snicker.

"Is it just me or does everyone here feels like we'll be playing against an iron wall?" Kuroko asked.

"We'll be playing against an iron wall." They deadpanned together.

"Trust me, we're talking from experience." Nakamura joined.

"But, that doesn't mean we can't handle them." Kasamatsu grinned. "Thanks to you, Kise, we won't be struggling like we did last year." The older players couldn't help but grin. They then looked in the direction of Hiranuma, and saw their number eight dunk the ball. He turned and smirked at them as if sending a message.

Kaijou wasn't in the least fazed.

_xxxx_

"Let the finals between Kaijou High and Hiranuma High begin!"

The referee got in the middle, with Kobori and Hiranuma's number four on either side. However, how the Kaijou players were positioned left Hiranuma wondering. They were all in their half of the court, Kasamatsu and 'Kise' were on either side of Kobori. However, they saw that those two were in running positions. _What are they up to?_ Was one player's thought.

The referee then threw the ball into the air, Kobori and Hiranuma's number four faced off. However, due to the height difference, the ball was knocked to Hiranuma. Kuroko timed it just right, as when the ball was close enough to their hands, he dashed off. In that moment in which number Ten got the ball, Kasamatsu was already on him and passed it to Kuroko who was already down the court. Due to everyone being at the centre, he was able to land a three with ease.

The gymnasium was silenced. One minute it was just tip off, the next, they saw 'Kise' shoot a three.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Didn't the ref just throw the ball into the air for tip-off?!"

Kuroko quickly returned to Kaijou's half, re-grouping with the rest of the players. Hiranuma's players were still in shock but quickly restarted after seeing 'Kise' heading back. Hiranuma's number Ten dribbled the ball down court towards Kaijou but as soon as he reached the centre, he passed to number Five. As soon as he got the ball, Kuroko went to block him. As a matter of fact, everyone went to their markers. Kobori marked Four, Moriyama marked Six, and Hayakawa marked Eight. Kasamatsu had Ten.

When Hiranuma's coach saw this, he found out what was happening. Each of the Kaijou players was marking people of the same positions. He had a smirk on his face, but little did he know…

Kuroko then moved off from Five, the Hiranuma player didn't mind since he was the one with the ball. However, the moment he went further up, he saw the other Kaijou players move off from their marks. Moriyama was coming in his direction, so he quickly decided to pass the ball to the nearest person…Six. But, in that instant, Hayakawa stole the ball, passing it to Kasamatsu. With the training that he received from 'Kuroko', he tapped the ball to Kuroko, who quickly made a layup as the Hiranuma players were catching up to him.

"Nice Kise!" Kasamatsu said, patting him on the back.

"It's because of a nice pass from you, Senpai." Kuroko smiled.

The game continued, Hiranuma getting the ball. Ten dribbled the ball, while he instructed the players to get into position. He looked at the positions of the Kaijou players and found something off. 'Kise' and Kasamatsu were beside each other, Moriyama was behind them, but on the other side, there was Kobori and behind him was Hayakawa. There was an opening in between Kuroko and Kobori's inside. _Their formation is strange_.

However, not letting that deter them, Ten passed the ball to Eight who was closest to him. The others had run on ahead towards the Kaijou players. Six had stopped at Kasamatsu, Five had stopped at Kobori and Four stayed in between Kuroko and Kobori's inside.

Eight then dribbled into Kaijou's half of the court. Glancing back to his teammate, Six then decided to run pass Kasamatsu. The Kaijou captain allowed him to but he was immediately blocked by Moriyama. Four had attempted to make a dash in between Kuroko and Kobori but the former blue haired boy blocked his path. Seeing what was happening, Eight quickly passed to five who was on the other side. He managed to get pass Kobori but Hayakawa stopped him. Five then attempted to make a three but Kobori knocked the ball from his hands the moment he straightened.

Hayakawa quickly grabbed the ball and headed into Ten and Five's direction. Kasamatsu followed him since he wasn't guarding anyone. When he was close enough, Hayakawa then chest pass the ball to Kasamatsu, who with ease, bounced it through Eight's legs and back into the arms of Hayakawa. The power forward then sped down the court. And with a shout, he jumped and did a bank shot.

Hiranuma didn't know what was going on. The Kaijou this year was more strategic in opposed to last year when they were more vicious and aggressive. Even their coach was surprised. But it didn't end there. When Hayakawa made the shot, he stayed at the net, while his other teammates came into Hiranuma's court. Quickly, number Ten went to retrieve the ball, but it was too late. By the time the Hiranuma players reached back into their half, so did Kaijou.

 _What is this?_ Ten thought as he dribbled the ball. Kobori was the closest to the centre, Moriyama and Kasamatsu were both by the three point line on Ten's left and right. Kuroko was in the middle on the inside, Hayakawa was under the net.

The Hiranuma players were then forced to adjust their formation to match Kaijou's; Ten who had retrieved the ball had Hayakawa, Six had Moriyama, Five was on Kasamatsu, Four and Eight were in front of Kuroko. Kobori was the only one not marked.

Glancing at the clock and seeing that he may get a foul if he holds the ball too long, Ten then made a break pass Hayakawa without even noticing that the boy hadn't tried to stop him. Five then broke pass Kuroko, leaving Four to screen him out. Ten then passed to Six, who made an attempt to pass to Five who they thought was free. In that moment, Kobori had run up and knocked the ball into Kasamatsu's direction. He then ran back into Kaijou's half.

Kasamatsu had quickly retrieved the ball and immediately shot a three. But due to Five on him, he knew that it wouldn't go in.

"Hayakawa!" he shouted.

"Leave it to me!" the power forward replied. Timing it just right, as the ball bounced off the rim of the net, he jumped and caught it with ease. He then shot the ball. They then returned to their half of the court, giving each other high fives.

The Hiranuma players were not amused…neither was their coach. Upset that Kaijou was scoring so much off them while they have yet to score; he stood up and shouted,

"Go get them! Get some points!"

This was what Kuroko had wanted to happen. Since they were a defense team, he made Kaijou rile them up so that they would be on the offense instead of defense.

For the rest of the first quarter, Hiranuma played a mostly run-gun game with Kaijou. Whenever Kaijou was in Hiranuma's court, their defense was tight but that didn't stop them. Kuroko decided to use misdirection, allowing whomever that has the ball to pass their defender easily. What is more, Kaijou put Moriyama and Kasamatsu to use, using them to shoot only threes. When those were blocked, Kuroko was the one who made some shots.

By the end of that quarter, Kaijou was on twenty-nine while Hiranuma was on eighteen.

"End of the first quarter! Two-minute interval!"

Both teams returned to their benches, Hiranuma's coach seemed to have almost blown a fuse; while over by Kaijou, Takeuchi was actually relieved. But when he looked at the scoreboard, he couldn't believe his eyes. Everything so far was going according to 'Kise's' plan. Looking at the blond, he didn't want to admit it but he felt as though 'Kise' was more lethal off the court than on it. During their strategy meeting, he saw how 'Kise' practically ripped them apart player by player.

"…so we should be extra careful this time around." He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard 'Kise' talking.

"Wait, what was that?" Takeuchi asked.

"Weren't you listening, Coach?" Kuroko asked with a blank stare. Takeuchi could only manage a grunt. "I was saying that come the second quarter, their defense is going to be running at full blast. Looking at their Coach's face, it's evident that he's upset. They may probably try to shut down me, Moriyama-senpai and Kasamatsu-senpai."

"I see."

"So what I suggest is that when that happens, we sub in Nakamura-senpai and take out Kobori-senpai. Since Nakamura-senpai specializes in shooting threes."

"That's not a bad idea." He agreed.

"But let's keep going as we are to see if they have any tricks up their sleeves before we bring out Nakamura-senpai." Kuroko said. Takeuchi nodded.

"They will probably bring out the famous 'iron wall'." Kasamatsu said.

"Let it come. We can handle it." Kuroko grinned. _Sometimes, I'm too into Ryou-kun's character…_ He thought.

The referee then blew his whistle, both teams heading back onto the court. "Let the second quarter begin!"

Looking at Hiranuma, Kaijou noticed that nothing had changed, but there was an uneasy feeling residing within all of them.

The game restarted with a throw-in from Hiranuma. Ten threw in the ball to Six and then ran onto the court into his position. Six dribbled the ball into Kaijou's court and then he passed to Five. He then tried to go around Kobori but with a quick glance to the right, he spotted Ten near the three point line. Smirking, he then bounced the ball in his direction and unfortunately for Kaijou, he received it. Almost immediately, he scored a three.

Without hitch, Hayakawa retrieved the ball and passed it to Kasamatsu. When he got the ball, he shouted, "Don't worry! We'll get it back!" he then continued to dribble the ball, but when they made it into Hiranuma's half, what they saw left them frozen for a second.

Hiranuma's players were set-up in such a way that Kaijou would have a hard time getting through their defense. At the front, there were the two biggest players ― Four and Eight, then flanking those two were Five and Six. Ten couldn't be seen so they deduced that he was behind Four and Eight.

"Shit." Kasamatsu said. "You were right; their defense is definitely running at full blast."

"But we have yet to see the dreaded 'iron wall'." Kuroko replied.

Kasamatsu then passed the ball to Kuroko who then went for the net. However, Four and Eight blocked him. No matter what Kuroko tried, he kept running into the two. Looking at the rest of the team, he saw that they also had their hands full. The only one who wasn't marked was Kobori.

With a smirk, Kuroko continued to dribble the ball, but then he suddenly paused. Both Four and Eight were frozen. He then continued to dribble again…and then paused. Kuroko then bounces the ball off the floor between his legs with his right hand and then caught it back with his left.

"Kobori-senpai!" he shouted. Kobori looked in his direction. Kuroko then bounced the ball to the centre, who caught it easily. However, he was unable to pass it to anyone. Five left from Kuroko and went to mark Kobori. Seeing what was going on, Kuroko then tried to break pass Four but it was unsuccessful. _How do I get pass this guy?_ Kuroko thought. Then an idea came into his head.

Kuroko then ran into the opposite direction, almost seeming as though he was heading back to Kaijou's net. Four stopped running behind him so swiftly, he called out to Kobori.

"Kobori-senpai!" without hesitation, Kobori passed the ball overhead to him. But before the ball could reach, he then called to Kasamatsu. "Kasamatsu-senpai! Go!"

Hearing that, Kasamatsu quickly dashed pass Ten due to him being distracted by Kuroko. When the ball reached Kuroko, he grabbed it and spun, releasing it into Kasamatsu's direction. The ball curved slightly, and landed right into Kasamatsu's palms. He then dribbled a little until he reached the three-point line. With a quick release, he shot the three.

Kuroko sighed a relief. He was glad that he got it right, as Kise's body was stronger than his; the amount of strength he would use if were _his_ body, he doubt that Kasamatsu would have been able to catch that ball.

The gymnasium abruptly fell silent.

Even as the Kaijou players made their way back to defend, the whole gym was still silent. Hiranuma's team was also stunned beyond words, their coach's eyes almost dropped out of his sockets. But then, the gym came back to life.

"What was that pass?!"

"The ball curved to Kaijou's captain! Does it have a mind of its own or something?!"

"Kise could pass like that?!"

Hearing the comments of the audience snapped Hiranuma back to reality. They went for the ball, but seeing this gave Kuroko an idea but that has to wait until they call for a time-out or the end of the second quarter.

The Hiranuma players thundered towards them, they felt as though they were about to be trampled. Four had the ball dribbling towards them with Eight close by. Five and Six were on either side of those two while Ten was behind. Five then went to mark Kuroko and Six went on Kasamatsu. Four then passed to Eight, and the others blocking Kuroko and the others, he made his way to the net.

However, Kobori and Moriyama were there. When Eight had jumped to make a dunk, the two jumped as well trying to prevent him from doing so. But…they failed. With the strength that Eight has, he blew passed them both and dunked.

Moriyama had almost lost his footing, but Kobori caught him in time. The other players were left in shock.

"He's gotten stronger." Kasamatsu said. "Shit, to think he'd still be able to dunk with both Moriyama and Kobori blocking him."

"It goes to show that the warm-up dunk was no joke. It'll be hard stopping him if he chooses to go on a dunking spree." Kuroko said.

"Well, he can't dunk if his teammates don't have the ball right?" Kasamatsu smirked. Kuroko's reply was a smile. He then turned to the bench and signalled to the coach that he wanted a time out.

"Kaijou High, time-out!"

Quickly, they motioned towards their bench, not knowing that it was Kuroko who made the coach issue that time-out. As soon as everyone that was on the court was present, Kuroko started.

"I have an idea."

"Which is…?" Nakamura asked.

"When Hiranuma is on the offense, I've noticed that they are scattered. They only have a formation when they are defending. So whenever we score and they're going to retrieve the ball, I propose that Kasamatsu-senpai and I head towards the ball as well. Either of us can steal the ball and then pass it to any of you guys. But you have to be close to us as well."

They nodded.

"Also, if Eight has the ball close to our net, try to stall him. With his power these no way we'll block his dunks. With someone distracting him, either I or Kasamatsu-senpai has to steal the ball from him." Kuroko continued.

"Sure." Kasamatsu replied.

The game resumed, Kaijou's ball. Kasamatsu had the ball, but as soon as he got dribbling, Hiranuma's players were already blocking them in a full court man-to-man. When Kasamatsu looked across to 'Kise', he saw that the blond had Four marking him. _So the biggest players are always marking Kise, huh._ He thought. Taking his mind off 'Kise', he then began to focus on his defender ― Ten. He was Hiranuma's point guard but in comparison to the others, he was the smallest.

Kasamatsu then made for a drive on his right but Ten moved also. However, the moment Ten moved, he pivoted on his right leg quickly enough and made it around Ten. Kasamatsu made his way to the basket with Ten following closely behind him.

While this was happening, Kuroko looked across to Moriyama. When their eyes met, Kuroko then nodded to him. The two then moved off together, running into each other's direction. Both defenders wondered what was happening, but they still followed behind their marks. When Kuroko and Moriyama were close enough to each other, they crossed and this caused their defenders to crash into each other.

"Shit!" Four shouted.

"Bastards!" Six said holding his shoulder.

 _I have to thank Izuki-senpai and Koganei-senpai for this._ Kuroko smiled to himself. The two then made their way to Kasamatsu. The captain couldn't help but smile. When he realized that 'Kise' was close enough and Moriyama was by the three-point line, he then stopped running and turned in 'Kise's' direction. Ten managed to stop in time as well, but he couldn't stop the pass.

Kasamatsu switched from right hand dribble to left. He then bounced the ball high enough after which with a flick of his right hand's wrist, he passed the ball to 'Kise'. It wasn't even a second that he had received the ball; Kuroko redirected it back to Kasamatsu who then tapped the ball to Moriyama.

"Nice pass, Kasamatsu!" the shooting guard shouted as he landed the three.

 _What the hell was that?!_ Ten thought as he looked back and forth Kasamatsu and Kuroko. _That's unbelievable!_

"This isn't a time for you to be in a daze!" Eight shouted at Ten. "Let's get back those points."

However, as soon as Five had retrieved the ball and made a baseball pass to Six who was further up the court, Kuroko went to block him. Kuroko then made an attempt to steal the ball, forcing Six to switch the hand in which he was dribbling. But the moment he did so, he suddenly felt the weight of the ball gone from his hands. Turning around to see who stole the ball, he saw that it was Kasamatsu. By the time he turned back around, Kuroko was gone, following behind the captain.

"Damn it!" he hissed. He then followed them but was screened out by Kobori. By the time Kuroko and Kasamatsu were close enough to net, without even a second thought or getting into a proper position, Kasamatsu shot the ball.

"Hayakawa, this is for you!" he shouted.

"OOOHHH!" Hayakawa shouted. As the ball bounced off the rim of the hoop, Hayakawa and Four jumped for the ball. Since he specializes in rebounds, Hayakawa got to the ball first and made the shot. "I'll (g)et all the re(bo)unds!" he shouted.

"Hai, hai." Kasamatsu said. "We know."

When Kaijou went back to defend, Hiranuma became vicious in their offense. Their speed increased, and what was worst, they made their biggest players shoot. That is, Eight and Four did mostly layups and dunks. Kuroko, Kasamatsu and Moriyama were constantly blocked by tight defense, as Hiranuma was doing everything to stop their best shooters and ace. With this, Kasamatsu and Kuroko could only pass the ball around, getting it Hayakawa or Kobori.

This continued for the rest of the second quarter into the middle of the third. When it was four minutes into the third quarter, Takeuchi subbed out Kobori for Nakamura as Kuroko had said earlier. But, Hiranuma knew that Nakamura could shoot threes as well.

When Nakamura walked on the court, Hiranuma's players retreated into their half of the court since Kaijou had the ball. What Kaijou saw, left them shocked.

"So they finally decided to bring it out, huh." Kasamatsu said, wiping a sweat from his forehead. "The Iron Wall."

"This is where things get rough," Nakamura sighed.

Hiranuma's players were positioned at the centre. Ten was in the middle, and behind him were Four and Eight who positioned diagonally from the point guard. Beside those two were Five and Six, and this completes their formation. They basically blocked their half court with their huge bodies and Kaijou knew that getting pass this would be difficult.

Running forward, Kasamatsu gave Kuroko the ball. Kaijou went up to the 'wall', Kuroko facing Ten. He then shifted to the right in an attempt to pass Ten. Ten moved as well. But seeing that it was 'Kise', Four moved up to double team 'Kise' with Ten. In the same instance, Hayakawa ran towards the space created when Ten shifted but Eight came up to block him; Nakamura followed as well but, he too was blocked…by Six.

On the other side, since Four and Ten were blocking Kuroko, Moriyama made a dash to enter Hiranuma's half of the court but Five blocked him. However, none of the Hiranuma players noticed that Kaijou had a smile on their faces. The moment Five moved up to block Moriyama, Kasamatsu dashed passed to end up in their court. Kuroko then made a jump backwards and then passed the ball to Kasamatsu who was already heading to the net.

When Hiranuma saw what was happening, immediately, Five ran to catch up Kasamatsu, leaving Moriyama. Ten had to leave Kuroko to block Moriyama but the instant that happened, Kuroko slipped pass Four. Kuroko constantly moved left and right at a speed, building up momentum. Once he had reached where he wanted to, he made a break on Four's left so fast, that he couldn't block him.

When Kasamatsu reached the three-point line, Ten had run up to him by the time he had straightened to take the shot. Ten then jumped to block him but Kuroko ran by just in time and Kasamatsu passed the ball to him. Reaching the net, Kuroko attempted a layup but due to Four's big stature, Kuroko saw that he would have knocked the ball away.

In that moment, he remembered another shot that Kise taught him. _When it seems like your shot is going to be blocked, usually a layup, change it into a finger roll shot instead._ When Kuroko shot the ball, he then lifted his fingers causing the ball to roll into the basket. However, he was quite lucky that Kise's fingers were longer than Four's. If they weren't, that ball would've been blocked.

The gymnasium erupted.

"They made it pass the iron wall!"

"I've never seen anyone make it pass that! Kaijou this year is amazing!"

On Kaijou's bench, Takeuchi and the bench players were shocked. He rose to his feet in utter shock, but he couldn't find words to say.

"They made it pass…" Matsumoto said. "I can't believe it."

Regaining his composure, he then said, "That must've been what they were discussing."

"Discussing? When?" It was Shinohara this time.

"Before our last practice." Kobori answered. "Kise said he had something important to show us in the clubroom, so we had asked Coach if we could miss the first couple minutes of practice. When we went to the clubroom, Kise put in the DVD, but when we saw their iron wall, he began explaining to us how we can get pass it."

"Wow," Shinohara breathed. "That's amazing."

"Then that means…that was all a part of the plan." Matsumoto added.

"Yes." Kobori answered.

The game continued, it was now three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Kaijou kept breaking pass the iron wall, but Hiranuma's players had also managed to get some points off Kaijou as well. The score was now 82 – 76 in Kaijou's favour, but neither team eased up for even a second.

When Hiranuma's coach saw that their defense was completely ripped apart by Kaijou, he called for a time-out.

"Hiranuma High, time-out!"

Without even sparing a second, their coach began, "Forget defense. Go on the offense. It's clear that they've got our defenses figured out. I need you to close that gap!"

"Hai!"

Over by Kaijou's bench, the mood wasn't as tense as Hiranuma's. "Looking at the clock, I'd say that they'd be going on the offense now." Kuroko said.

"Seeing that we can get pass any defense they put up." Nakamura added. "But wouldn't that make it easier for us?"

"Yes and no." Kuroko answered. This earned him raised eyebrows from the team. "In the idea that the ball would be easier for us to steal and their court would be open then, yes. But when they're on offense, they are dangerously vicious…especially Four and Eight. I think that their offense may consist of Six, Four and Eight. The latter two would probably create an opening, then they would either score themselves or let Six do it. The others would probably set up screens and such."

"That's right," Kasamatsu added. "We can't let our guard down for even a second. These guys will take advantage of that. Let's win this!"

"Yeah!"

"Time-out over!"

After the whistle was blown, both teams headed out back onto the court. The Blue Elites could feel that there was something different about Hiranuma. It was they threw in the ball that they realized what it was. They were vicious. Even worse than before.

As soon as Four or Eight got the ball, they would dash to Kaijou's net, and with their big bodies made it difficult for Kaijou to block effectively. However, none of the players forgot what 'Kise' had said earlier.

This time it was Four who had the ball. As he thundered his way into Kaijou's half of the court, Nakamura immediately came up to block him. The moment that happened, Kuroko ran by them, followed by Kasamatsu. But only Kuroko continued to run after he passed Four. When Kasamatsu passed Four, he then back-tipped the ball sending it bouncing in Hayakawa's direction. The power forward then passed it back to Kasamatsu, who redirected it to Kuroko who was further down the court at the three point line.

Kuroko made another three with ease, but he knew that once there is intense pressure on the court…making threes would not be the wisest choice.

Kaijou then returned to their half, once more Hiranuma attacked with their vicious offense. Once more, they tried to defend against the huge players, sometimes trying the stalling method again but it only worked once more. The match then became high paced, both teams seeming as though they were doing back and forth sprint exercises.

"Boys! Get the ball and attack!" Takeuchi shouted. "Nakamura screen out! Hayakawa rebound!"

Kuroko and Kasamatsu circulated the ball at high speeds, Moriyama and Nakamura had to be prepared to receive the ball to make threes, and Hayakawa was always by the net. Also, the power forward got a lot of rebounds off Hiranuma, so he was more pumped up than before.

The gymnasium was in constant uproar due to Kaijou's antics but more so, seeing Hiranuma, the king of defense, playing a mostly offensive game matching Kaijou's pace as well. Soon, they could see the sweat dripping down from the players and seeming like it was drenching the floor. Players from both teams were panting heavily, but to the players' relief, the match was almost over.

But Hiranuma was still losing. No matter what they tried, once any one of them got the ball, it would get stolen by either Kasamatsu or 'Kise'. What made it worst, once Kaijou got the ball, if they tried to block anyone with the ball, they would spot 'Kise' for just a split second, and then whoever they're blocking would seemingly disappear.

This was frustrating for the Hiranuma players, if they made a basket, Kaijou would then make two. It was a cycle that Hiranuma knew that they couldn't break out of. And worse, time wasn't on their side.

With only one minute left in the fourth quarter, there was absolutely no hope for Hiranuma. Kaijou was at 98 while they were at 80. They then switched back to mostly defending, trying to stop Kaijou from winning by a long-shot. But, as before, no matter what they tried, Kaijou was unstoppable.

Kasamatsu dribbled the ball pass his marker and into Hiranuma's half of the court. Ten was following close behind him, but Kuroko was the closest to their net apart from Hayakawa. Moriyama and Nakamura were ahead at the three-point line. Without hitch, Kasamatsu then bounced pass to Nakamura, but Hiranuma's players had tightly blocked the two players.

Without being able to shoot, Nakamura had to continuously dribble the ball while looking at who would be the best choice. He noticed that strangely, 'Kise' was being closely marked like previously.

"Don't hold the ball too long, Nakamura!" Moriyama shouted as he ran into the ash-blond's direction. Quickly, he passed the ball to the shooting guard, who then passed to Kasamatsu. the captain didn't want to risk a pass with so many of Hiranuma's players concentrated there, so he attempted a three. Ten saw this and went to block him but he didn't care. He knew that Hayakawa would _always_ get the rebounds.

When he released the ball, Ten's finger had slightly touched the ball, so when it reached the net, it bounced off the rim. However, doing what he does right, Hayakawa jumped for it and then passed it to 'Kise', who without hitch, made a layup.

The buzzer sounded.

The gymnasium was in silence.

The referee blew his whistle. "Game Over!"

Kaijou erupted in a fit of cheers, everyone rushing towards 'Kise'. He got high fives, they messed up his hair, patted him on the back and so forth.

"Hey! Anywhere but the hair!" Kuroko shouted. "I have to maintain it, you know."

They then lined up and referee made the announcement. "One hundred to Eighty, Kaijou!"

"Thank you very much!"

_xxxx_

"Good job, Kise." Kasamatsu said while taking off his shirt. "We won, thanks to you."

"Senpai, we won because of _us._ Not just me." Kuroko said. He was already changed, thanks to his modelling work, he was getting used to changing faster than the average person. "I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"Ahh…" Moriyama joined. "I know the perfect way to end today."

"That is…?" was the unison question.

"Karaoke!" he then spun around seeming a bit giddy. "Kise could invite some friends as well. But there should be an even amount."

"Ah, then can I call Seirin?"

"What? No!" he shouted. "I meant girls! I'm sure you have some stored in that phone of yours."

"Not really." Was his honest reply.

Moriyama didn't believe it one bit. "You mean to tell me that a model and prodigal basketball player like yourself doesn't have much female contacts? Who do you take me for?"

"Seriously. Girls these days don't really care about my personality, just my status. I can't give out my number to those people."

The locker room was silenced by that comment. They all stared at 'Kise' with astonished looks in their eyes but no one could say anything.

"I n(ev)er knew t(ha)t you had to go thr(ou)gh some(thi)ng so sad, Kise!" Hayakawa shouted. Kuroko tilted his head sideways as he never understood a thing he just said. As a matter of fact, every time Hayakawa spoke, he never understood.

"Hayakawa-senpai," he said as he made his way towards the rebound specialist. Being taller than the boy, he had to look down on him. He then did something unthinkable. With his left hand, he held Hayakawa's cheeks and then plunged his right hand into the boy's mouth. He felt around for his tongue, everyone else shouting at the blond.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing to Hayakawa?" Nakamura shouted as he ran to him. He then pulled out Kuroko's hand and the boy then proceeded to wipe his hand in his pants.

"Kise, what are you thinking?"

"It's just that I can never understand Hayakawa-senpai when he speaks so I thought that his tongue needed fixing." He replied with a straight face. Once more the locker room became silent. After a couple of seconds, when they registered what 'Kise' said, they all bust with laughter.

"Seriously, Kise?" Kasamatsu chuckled. "His tongue needed fixing?" he then turned his face to his locker and laughed out loud. Just then, the coach entered. Seeing the boys (except Kuroko and Hayakawa) cracking up, he wondered what had happened.

"Coach, you need to hear this!" Matsumoto said, his grin not leaving his face. "Kise…Kise…pfft!" he couldn't finish his sentence as he then began to roar with laughter once again.

Takeuchi then turned to the sun-blond. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just thought Hayakawa-senpai's tongue needed fixing so I stuck my hand in his mouth." Kuroko replied with a shrug of the shoulder. "I can never understand anytime he speaks anyway."

The coach made no reply. Kise has been getting stranger and stranger by the day, so he made no attempt in trying to figure him out. He then turned his back to the boys and headed to the door. "Hurry it up, we have to get out of here."

"Hai!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	20. Training the Freshman Trio

Chapter 20

...

At Seirin, Kise strolled to his Coach's classroom. When he entered, he wasn't surprised that no one noticed his presence…he was now accustomed to Kuroko's body anyway. He then made his way to Riko, not that she was far from the door which he was glad for.

"Coach," he called.

"Uwaah!" Riko jumped in her seat and grabbed the fabric at her chest. "Kuroko-kun! Don't scare me like that!"

"But I came in like a normal person. It's not my fault you didn't notice me." Kise replied.

"Kuroko? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be heading to practice?" Hyuuga came up and asked.

"Umm, I can't come to practice today." Kise answered. "I…have things to do." It wasn't a lie; he and Kuroko were going to do some preparation for Seirin's _eventual_ match against Touou.

"What kind of things, Kuroko-kun?" Riko asked as she stood up. She had an evil glint her eyes and poor Kise started sweating.

"Important things. _Very_ important things."

She sighed. She knew that 'Kuroko' wasn't going to talk no matter what she did. "Fine, just make it up tomorrow."

"Hai." With that, Kise dashed off, heading to the gate to wait for the freshman trio.

When he was out of sight, Hyuuga spoke. "Is it okay for him to miss practice today?"

Riko smirked, "that's why he'll make it up tomorrow." Hyuuga shivered when he looked at her face. Her face then relaxed, "I'm sure it's something important." Just then, they saw Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda heading in their direction.

"Coach!" they called out to her and Hyuuga.

"You three…what are you doing here? Practice is the other way." Hyuuga said. When he saw the looks on their faces, he had a feeling of what they were going to say. "Don't tell me…" he trailed off.

"You guys can't come to practice right?" Riko asked.

"Yeah, how do you know?" Fukuda asked nervously.

"Something important came up…that's why we ―" Furihata broke off.

"For _all_ three of you?" she asked. She then began to crack her knuckles.

"And Kuroko?" Hyuuga added entering into clutch mode.

"Uh, uh…" Kawahara started, "Actually, Kuroko was the one who told us to tell you that we can't come to practice today!" he confessed. The threatening atmosphere was getting to him.

"Huh? Skip practice to go where?"

"His house." Furihata answered. "He said there was something that he had for us."

Hyuuga's shoulders slumped. "If four of our members aren't at practice then we'd have to have three-on-three's then."

"Fine," Riko said with a smile. "You may go."

The boys face lit up with relief. "Thank you!" they chorused together before running off. Hyuuga was shocked…so shocked that he didn't even know what to say to the girl.

"Hyuuga-kun, tell everyone else that practice is cancelled." Riko said.

"Uh, why?"

"Because, we're _all_ going to Kuroko-kun's house." She smiled.

 _That's a dangerous smile…_ Hyuuga thought to himself. Quickly, he ran to the gym to inform the rest.

_xxxx_

As soon as the bell rang, Kuroko dashed out of the classroom, and down the hallway. Today was the start of the weekend, but most importantly, he would be spending the weekend with Kise at _his_ house. When Kise had called him and told him that _his_ father had agreed, he was ecstatic. He had longed to see his parents, and this would be a perfect opportunity.

Within a minute or so, he was at the gate. He then stopped to catch his breath, and waited. One of Kise's sisters ― Reiko ― was supposed to pick him up and bring him to Tokyo. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was five minutes after three. Just then, he saw a familiar car swinging from around corner. A smile graced his face and when it stopped, without hesitation in got in the passenger seat.

"Ryoucchi, you should invite Kurokocchi back to our house." Reiko started as he closed the door. "I miss him and his hair!" she chuckled.

"He's not a doll, you know." Kuroko replied.

"But his hair is hard to resist!" she then smirked. "I know you feel the same."

"What?!" Kuroko turned his head to look through the window. "I-I-I don't."

"Heeh? You're stuttering, Ryoucchi." She then laughed. The two then began to engage in a different conversation. They talked about many things, in between Reiko would tease Kuroko a lot…much to the boy's chagrin.

Soon, they reached Tokyo. Since Reiko didn't know where _his_ house was, Kuroko had to give her directions. Within five minutes, the car pulled up beside the gate, Kuroko quickly got out of the car and then went to the trunk. He opened it and took out a small suitcase. He then went back to the front of the car and said his goodbye.

But then, he noticed something. Kise wasn't here. Now he'd have to wait in front of the gate until the boy arrived. What was even worse, Kuroko knew that if he waited too long, a fangirl may encounter him…he wouldn't want that.

Taking out the phone, he decided to call the boy to ask where he was. But as soon as he took it out of his pocket, he saw the boy walking up to him with three others behind him.

"I see you're early." Kise started, with a smirk on his face. Luckily, the others were behind him so they couldn't see it.

"Reiko-nee dropped me off." Kuroko replied.

"Kise-kun?!" Kawahara said with a finger pointed at him. It was clear that he was shocked to see the blond.

"Hey." Kuroko said with a smile.

"Oh, this is Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda." Kise introduced. He inwardly chuckled, seeing that he's introducing to Kuroko _his_ original teammates. Then a strange silence befell them, as no one knew what to say. Kise then motioned towards the gate and the rest followed. Kuroko felt the most awkward, as before the switch, he could converse with the three even if it's for a little bit.

When they entered the house, the freshman trio were amazed at how organized the house was. Kise then indicated to them that they could sit on the sofa.

"Could you wait five minutes? We need to change." Kise said.

"Uh sure." Fukuda said. Kise and Kuroko went upstairs, leaving the trio downstairs. Kawahara turned to Furihata and asked,

"Do you know why he's called us here?"

"No, I doubt Fukuda know as well, right?"

"That's true." The centre joined. "But, why is Kise here as well?"

"Beats me." Furihata shrugged. He then leaned forward towards the coffee table. It was then that his eyes caught something resembling a magazine. He took it up as turned it around to see the front. He gasped in surprise.

"What is it?" Fukuda asked leaning towards the boy to see as well.

"It's Kuroko!" he said as he pushed the book in his face. The boy grabbed the book so see if his eyes were deceiving him. Kawahara peered over as well, seeing the blue-haired boy on the front cover. He had on a white shirt underneath a red blazer jacket with black jeans and sneakers. He stood with his right hand rubbing the back of his neck…but his face was what caught the attention of the three.

"He's…smiling…" Furihata said in shock. The three paused. They then exchange glances before looking back at the cover. "He's smiling!" they chorused as if in realization.

"I want to see what's inside!" Kawahara shouted as he took the book from Fukuda. However, he would have to wait. Kuroko and Kise returned, so quickly, they placed the book back on the table before either of them realized that they had it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kise said as he took a seat in the chair opposite to them. Kuroko sat beside him but as he did so, he placed a notebook on the table.

"It's…fine?" Furihata said as he looked at 'Kuroko'. He noticed that the shirt the boy had on was falling off the left side of his shoulder. When he continued to look, he saw the shirt was too big for his small frame. "Kuroko, isn't that shirt a bit big?" he then asked.

"Yes it is. Actually, it's not my size." Kise answered flatly. Furihata said nothing more. Meanwhile, Kuroko could only shake his head at Kise. "Anyway, let's get down to business. We need to be out of here by four."

"Huh? To do what?" Fukuda asked.

"To train, what else do we do together?" Kise answered. He then took the notebook, opened it and skipped a few pages, before pushing it towards the three. "This is what I think your weaknesses are and how to improve on them." They then looked at the book. First up was Furihata (since each of them had a page to themselves). He read the notes with serious concentration, and when he was done, he passed the book to Fukuda who was beside him.

"How did you know all that, Kuroko?" Furihata asked while Fukuda was reading.

"I observe you, that's all." Kise said with a shrug. He then saw Furihata's eyes looked downwards, having a slight look of sadness in them. By this time, Kawahara was reading the notes.

"You know, whenever I see you and Kagami play, I sometimes get envious of you." He started, "You guys have the power and ability to play while I'm doing nothing to help the team. While on the other hand, I feel empowered, especially by you Kuroko. To see that even though you can't do many things that a regular basketball player can, you still try your best. "

"I feel the same," Fukuda joined. "I just want to help sometimes, instead of having the Senpai and you bear the entire burden on court."

"Good." Kise said. "Let that be your motivation." He then leaned forwards to them. "You'll need it."

Kuroko chuckled seeing their faces. He then looked up at the clock and saw that it was fifteen minutes to four o'clock. He then indicated to Kise by leaning his head in the direction of the clock. Wordlessly, Kise got up and went back upstairs to change his shirt and grabbed his bag. Within a minute, he returned but he then looked to the trio. "I'll need you to change; you can't play basketball in your uniform."

"Right," Kawahara nodded. Kise then moved off indicating that they should follow him. He showed them where the bathroom was and after about two minutes or so, they emerged fully changed.

"Let's go." He said to them. They then headed to the door, where Kuroko was waiting.

_xxxx_

Within five minutes of slow walking, they reached the basketball court. Kuroko went onto the court closer to the net, while Kise stayed by the bench with the others. Since Kise and Kuroko had already exchanged ideas over the phone, Kuroko knew what he was doing today so he immediately went into position.

"What we'll be doing first is a three-on-one match." Kise explained.

"Three-on-one?!" they chorused together. Their eyes then looked in Kuroko's direction who was dribbling a basketball.

"We're playing against _Kise_?" Kawahara asked with worry.

"Yes." Kise answered. "But fear not, I told him to go easy on you." He then continued, "This is how it's going to be done. The first match is Ryou-kun vs. you three; then afterwards, we'll be going into one-on-one matches."

The three blanched.

"Now go!" Kise said as he took a seat on the bench. He then went into his bag and took out a clipboard and pen before standing up and making his way closer.

The three freshmen walked towards 'Kise', Furihata was the most nervous of them all. 'Kise' gave off an aura that definitely scared him, he could feel it during the Kaijou match and he wasn't even playing.

"Calm down," Kuroko said to Furihata. He had walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't bite, you know."

"Ye-yeah." He stuttered. Kuroko sighed; his attempt to help Furihata seemed to have been in vain. Well, he could imagine what the three were going through. They never played in any basketball match before and now they're play one of the Generation of Miracles…Kuroko chuckled to himself. _I guess I really have to go easy on them, then._

"Let the match begin!" Kise announced taking Kuroko out of his thoughts.

As soon as 'Kuroko' made the announcement, both Fukuda and Furihata went to guard 'Kise'. Kawahara was behind them, but Kuroko had a feeling of what they were up to. _Since these two are guarding me then…Kawahara-kun is the one who will most likely do the shooting. Fukuda-kun may be the core of their defense; Furihata-kun will try to get the ball to Kawahara-kun._

Kuroko then smirked.

Furihata and Fukuda got a bad feeling when they saw 'Kise' smirk. They then heard a loud dribble and their attention was immediately drawn to the ball. Fretting, they kept their defense tighter, but that didn't stop Kuroko. With swift movements, Kuroko broke pass the block and Kawahara. Before they knew it, he was doing a layup.

"How are we supposed to stop _that_?" Kawahara asked.

"I don't know. With just us, I doubt that we can." Furihata replied. "I mean, that guy's a monster."

Kise sighed when he heard their conversation. _They're going to need a lot more motivation…_ But he still didn't do anything but continued to watch them.

Kawahara and Fukuda were in front Kuroko while Furihata was behind him. Kawahara and Furihata tried to steal the ball from Kuroko, while Fukuda tried to keep him one place. So far they've been three minutes and so far the trio hasn't been able to stop Kuroko. There were couple instances when they were almost able to steal the ball, but with quick reflexes, Kuroko avoided it.

Kuroko then bounced the ball high enough, and with this movement, startled them a bit. In that moment of distraction, Kuroko quickly grabbed the ball and broke passed the two and dashed towards the net. When he reached the three-point line, he stopped to get into shooting form. Inwardly, he was praying that maybe they would be able to stop him here, as he could see the looks on their faces. When he was straightening up, Fukuda was in front of him, going for a block. But with Kise's teachings, Kuroko knew that the shot couldn't be stopped due to him being taller and the fact that the boy had jumped a little too quick.

He released the ball, landing a perfect three.

"Alright!" Kise shouted. They looked in his direction and saw him indicating that they go to him. As soon as they made it close, he began. "You may take a rest, and then we continue with the one-on-one match. Are you ready, Fukuda-kun?"

"Eh?" Fukuda looked lost. "One-on-one? Against Kise?"

"Yes. And no, I'm not mad." Kise answered. He could literally hear the 'are you mad?' question in the boy's voice so before he asked it, he answered. "I'm doing this for a good reason. If you lose, there's nothing to be sad about. Remember that he's a member of the basketball team that wreaked havoc in middle school; there's no way I'd expect to win against him."

"I know, it's just ―" Fukuda didn't get to complete his sentence as he felt a push towards the court. It was 'Kuroko'.

"Good that you understand." Kise said. "Now go out there and show me what you got!"

"Eh?" once more the boy was speechless.

"Ryou-kun will be on offense, and you'll be on defense since you're a centre."

"Okay," Fukuda sighed. But what disturbed him was that all throughout that, 'Kuroko's' face was as blank as a fresh sheet of paper. Slowly but surely the boy walked onto the court, with 'Kise' following behind him. They then got into position, Kuroko dribbling the ball.

He shifted to the right, so did Fukuda.

He shifted to the left, so did Fukuda.

Kuroko continued to do this until he built up enough momentum to break pass Fukuda. But that didn't stay on his mind. It was the fact that Fukuda was able to keep up with him for most of the time. When he was close enough to the net, Fukuda was close behind him with a look of determination in his eyes.

Kuroko couldn't help but smile.

He then jumped to make the shot, Fukuda jumped to block the shot as well. But he came up short. The ball went into the net, undisturbed.

_xxxx_

"Is Kuroko sick or something?" Izuki asked Kagami.

"No, he was perfectly fine." The redhead answered. "Unless, he got sick after school or something."

"Then," Koganei started, "why are heading to his house?" Riko only smirked at her boys. When they were approaching a street ball court, they heard shouts and panting but more importantly, they thought the voices sounded familiar.

When they reached the fence, they realized that they were right. They saw 'Kuroko' standing by the sidelines with a clipboard in his hand watching the players, but they couldn't see his face due to his back being turned to them. On the court, they saw Kise with the ball, facing off against Fukuda. They paused at that.

"Kise?!" Kagami shouted. Luckily, they didn't hear him. "What's Fukuda doing playing one-on-one with him?"

"Shh!" Riko shushed him. "Let's watch what they are doing."

After she said that, they hid themselves behind the bushes and watched.

They then saw 'Kise' dribble the ball then paused. Fukuda stood frozen for a second before 'Kise' continued his dribble. After couple more seconds of dribbling, they saw him pause again.

"Kise could do the hesitation dribble?" Hyuuga said with shock. "That has got to be the most annoying dribble in basketball."

"An annoying dribble for an annoying person." Izuki said, this time, no pun intended. However, Hyuuga still gave him the stink eye.

They looked back in time to see 'Kise' aiming for the net, but Fukuda managed to reach in front of him.

"Is Fukuda faster than Kise?" Kagami asked.

"Of course not, Bakagami!" Riko hissed at him. "Can't you see that Kise-kun purposefully slowed his pace to make Fukuda-kun catch him up?"

"Oh."

Just then when 'Kise' went into shooting form and straightened, they heard him yell to Fukuda, "Jump now Fukuda!"

Their first-year centre did as he was told and 'Kise' was about to get comfortable to shoot the ball, Fukuda knocked the ball from his hands, it rolling towards their direction.

"Nice Fukuda," 'Kise' said as he pats the boy on shoulder.

"I blocked it." He said with shock. "But, if you didn't tell me to jump…"

"It's okay, we'll discuss this when we get back to Tetsucchi's house."

The other Seirin players were shocked. "He's helping them?" Hyuuga asked with disbelief. "Why?"

"I think our answer lies with Kuroko-kun." Riko answered. "After all, that blond seemed to be the type to do anything for our trump-card."

"You don't think that they had to bargain anything?" Koganei asked with worry.

"But what could they possibly bargain about?" Kagami asked. "Kuroko being Kise's slave or something?"

"Hmm, judging by how he acted, I wouldn't be surprised if he asked Kuroko-kun to transfer to Kaijou." Tsuchida added.

"Now _that_ would be a problem. But I don't think Kuroko would agree with that, right?" Izuki said. His question was left unanswered as no one knew what to say. However, they were brought out by their thoughts as they saw Fukuda leave the court, and Kawahara came on.

"Well, you should be more comfortable." They heard 'Kise' say to Kawahara upon seeing the look on his face.

"Really? I'm about to play against you, _alone,_ there's no way I can be relaxed." He replied.

"We play the same position, that's why."

"That's even worse." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"Kawahara-kun, how good is your shooting?" Kise then asked. "Threes, that is."

"Uh, not as good as Hyuuga-senpai."

"Hyuuga-senpai is like the god of shooting, you can't compare yourself to him." Kise chuckled. This earned a proud look from Hyuuga upon hearing his kouhai call him a shooting god. "If you were to shoot ten consecutive threes, about how many would do in?"

"About, five or six."

"I see." He then wrote something down on the clipboard underneath Kawahara's name. "Ryou-kun you're defense, Kawahara-kun you're offense. But, you'll only shoot threes."

Kawahara became pale. "You're serious?"

"Very." Kise answered quickly. "I also want to see how you dribble, so you'll start playing from the centre line."

Kawahara looked as though he was going to die at any moment. It seemed to his bad luck. Not only was he going to play against 'Kise', it just so happened that both he and 'Kise' play the small forward position.

Kise then threw the ball to Kawahara who then made his way to the centre line. Kuroko slowly walked up to him and got into his defensive stance. Seeing the fierce look on 'Kise's' face, Kawahara became nervous and wondered if he could at least land one three against the blond.

He continued to dribble the ball, until he made a move to the left. Kuroko moved as well, prohibiting Kawahara from passing him. This continued for a couple more seconds, and sadly, Kawahara couldn't pass Kuroko.

Then suddenly, while Kawahara had the ball in his hands, Kuroko saw an opportunity and knocked the ball to the ground. Kawahara stood there, frozen. He couldn't pass 'Kise' and well, it looks as though the ace could steal the ball from him any moment.

"Kawahara-kun, you need to relax." Kuroko said to the boy as he went to retrieve the ball. Kawahara couldn't answer. Kuroko sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than both he and Kise imagined.

_xxxx_

"That's it!" 'Kuroko' shouted while clapping his hands. The players on the court abruptly stopped what they were doing, the trio collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily for air. As for Kuroko, he didn't feel as exhausted as they were. As a matter of fact, he hardly broke a sweat. _Ryou-kun is indeed a monster…_ He thought.

He then went over to the three and held out his hands for them to take. "Come, we're leaving." He said.

"Does this means we can go home, now?" Furihata asked.

Kuroko chuckled. "No, we're going back to Tetsucchi's house." The trio almost fainted. In the back of their minds, they thought that when they went back to Kuroko's house, they would eventually find themselves out here again. Seeing the expressions, Kise quickly reassured them.

"We're just going to talk about today and then you can go home."

"Thank God," the trio sighed. They got to their feet and walked over to where their bags were. When they retrieved their things, they then left the court, unbeknownst to them, the other members of their basketball club were still watching.

Not before long, they returned to Kuroko's house, and the first thing the trio did was change back into their uniform while Kuroko sat in the chair he was before and Kise had gone upstairs to change into one of _his_ shirts, which were obviously, too big for his current body.

The trio had made it back to the living room before Kise came down, so the air was strangely awkward. If he was in his body, Kuroko could've easily started up a conversation with them, but now as Kise Ryouta, he doesn't want to say.

"Ah, do you mind if I leave you here for couple minutes?" he asked as he got up.

"No, we don't mind." Furihata answered. As the boy said that, Kuroko went up the stairs, wondering what was taking Kise so long to just put on a shirt. When he made it into his room, he saw that the boy was fully changed, but he was staring at his clipboard.

"Ryou-kun?" he called.

"Ah, sorry." He replied. "I was just looking at their stats."

"Oh," Kuroko chuckled. "You noticed anything?" he then asked.

Kise grinned. "Plenty. I'm pretty sure, you've noticed a lot of things as well." Just then, they heard the doorbell ringing. Seeing that Kise was busy with the data, Kuroko left and went to answer the door. Plus, he thought that it couldn't have been someone who _he_ didn't know. When he opened to door, however, he was shocked out of his wits.

"Kise?!"

"Seirin?!"

For a couple of seconds, they stood facing each other, unable to speak or move. It wasn't until they heard 'Kuroko' calling 'Ryou-kun' that Riko managed to break the silence.

"Is that Kuroko-kun?" she asked.

"Ah," he said snapping back to reality. "Come in." he then opened the door wider and stepping aside. The team entered the house and made their way to where Furihata and the rest were sitting. Kise was standing nearby the steps that led upstairs but they didn't even notice him. Kise shook his head and chuckled to himself. Kuroko then came up beside him and asked, "Aren't you going to greet your guests?"

"Ah yeah, I should do that." Kise said. "But first since everyone's here, I'm thinking about showing them our old Teikou matches, to see what Aomine _was_ like."

"And estimate what he _would_ be like now." Kuroko added. He then went upstairs to fetch the videos while Kise made his way to his new teammates. However, they still didn't notice his presence.

"Hey, let's continue looking through that book!" Fukuda said, gaining attention of the team.

"Yeah," Kawahara said as he took it up off the coffee table.

"What's that?" Izuki asked.

"We don't know but look," Kawahara replied while turning the cover in Izuki's direction.

"Shit, he's smiling!" Koganei shouted in shock. The book was then passed around to every member of the team.

"I want to see if there's more inside!" Hyuuga shouted. Kise only stood watched them with an amused expression. They then placed the book on the table and everyone crowded around it.

The first page had 'Kuroko' sitting on a bench in what seemed to be a park. He sat backwards, with his hands behind the bench and his head turned upwards, looking at the sky. He was dressed in white shirt and sneakers with red jeans. His face couldn't be seen.

The next page they saw 'Kuroko' in a running motion. He was dressed in red sweat pants with a red hooded top to match. He had on a black shirt underneath and white running shoes. Seeing the full picture, they deduced he was jogging.

They skipped the page once more. 'Kuroko' was sitting atop a concrete structure (the full thing wasn't seen in the picture). He had one knee bent upwards with an arm rested on it casually. He wasn't looking in the camera but in the directly in front of him. This time, he was dressed in black and white; white sneakers, black pants and a white dress shirt which he folded the sleeves up to his elbows.

They continued, this time, they saw both 'Kuroko' and 'Kise'. 'Kuroko' was dressed in a white polo-shirt, and light blue jeans pants with plain white adidas sneakers. 'Kise' was dressed in a royal blue v-neck and sneakers with black jeans. Both were in sunshades. They were both sitting in lush green grass, seeming as though they were engaged in a conversation. 'Kise's' face had on a smile, while 'Kuroko' looked as though he was roaring with laughter.

When they skipped the page, their eyes almost fell out of their sockets. There 'Kuroko' was, dressed in a green shirt underneath a black cardigan but it couldn't see what kind of pants he wore. He was sitting in look like a coffee shop, but his face was what shocked Seirin. He had on the most smug expression one could think of, as he pointed an index in 'Kise's' direction. The blond was dressed in a black dress shirt with the sleeves folded slightly. He was taking a sip of the coffee, but his expression seemed as though 'Kuroko' had said something outrageous.

They continued looking though the photobook, Kise not doing anything to stop them. He figured that they would've found out later on anyway. By now, Kuroko had come downstairs with the DVDs.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, bewildered at the crowd at his parents' coffee table.

"They were just looking though my photobook, that's all." Kise answered flatly.

"Kuroko!" they shouted.

"Have you been there the whole time?" Kagami asked.

"Yes." Kise replied.

"You-you-you are a model?!" Riko asked, screeching. "Since when? Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Since a week before Inter-High and you never asked."

"That's because we know that you weren't a model before!" she countered.

"Kuroko," Kagami called. His voice was surprisingly calm. He then walked up to where Kuroko and Kise were. He had the photobook in his hand, opened to a page. "What the hell is with this?!" he then roared, frightening the two boys. "What-what-what…" he stuttered. "…is this really you?!"

Kise looked at the picture and shrugged, "Of course it is. Can't you see that I'm obviously laughing here?"

"Then what about this one?!" Izuki asked grabbing the book and skipping a few pages. "There's no way my eagle eyes could've missed this one!" it was a portrait picture of 'Kuroko' alone, but it seemed that he had on no shirt due to his shoulders being bare. He had tilted his chin upwards slightly; his left hand was positioned at his mouth, with his tongue licking his middle finger. Chocolate ran down from his fingers, but his face looked so seductive that when Riko had seen it, she had to turn her face away to prevent a nosebleed.

"Oh." Kise couldn't find the right words.

" _Oh?!_ " they erupted.

"That's all you can say?" Koganei asked. "Kuroko, is Kise the one taking away your innocence?" An indescribable sound came from Kuroko's mouth when he heard this. He gave Kise a look because he knew that the boy had a mischievous side to him that could be quite lethal.

"Hmm," he hummed. They fell to the floor. Kuroko had to admit, it was funny looking at their reactions.

"Arf!"

"Nigou!" Kawahara called as he went to pet the puppy. Kagami by now had retreated to a corner of the living room, trembling.

"Ah, this is the famous Nigou, huh?" Kuroko said as he took up the dog. "He does have your eyes," Kise then remembered Kagami's fear of dogs. He then took Nigou from Kuroko's arms, and then threw the dog at Kagami. When he saw the dog coming, Kagami screamed.

"Get-get-get it away!" he shouted, "Kuroko, you bastard! I'll kill you!"

Seeing Kagami's expression, Kise fought hard not to laugh. Even Kuroko, started laughing at the events. Kise then doubled his lips, but he couldn't hold out much longer.

"Kuroko, are you alright?" Izuki asked, seeing that the boy was becoming red.

"I'm…f-f-fine." He said. Even his lips started trembling due to the overwhelming urge to laugh. It was when Nigou had then jumped on Kagami that he finally cracked.

Kise roared with laughter. Everyone stopped and looked at 'Kuroko'. For the very first time they had ever seen him laugh. Without a second thought, Izuki flipped open his phone and began videoing the blue-haired boy. After a minute, Kise finally calmed down, Izuki saved the video to his phone and then proceeded to send it to the others.

"Alright, Nigou. Come here." Kise called. The dog obeyed and went to his master's side. "Now that's over, let's get down business." His voice went back to being flat and monotonous. Everyone sat anywhere that was available as the sofa and the two chairs couldn't hold everyone, the only two who stood up were Kuroko and Kise.

"Fukuda-kun," Kise started, "Your defense needs work. You need to be able to predict what kind of shot your opponent will be doing, you'll need to know your maximum jump height so that you can actually block shots." Fukuda nodded. Kise then gave him one of the papers off the clipboard. "Here, this will help."

He then turned to Kawahara and sighed, "Your dribbling is terrible and you need to work on your drive. It would be great if you learn dribbling styles and from what I see, you should start with the hesitation dribble. That way, you could surprise your markers and break away from them. I haven't seen you shoot yet so I have no idea what to say."

"But don't worry, Tetsucchi and I have something planned out for you." Kuroko quickly said to lift their spirits.

"Wait." Kagami joined in. " _Tetsucchi_? Since when were you so close to Kuroko that you're giving him a nickname?"

"Well, Ryou-chan and I are best friends, so I don't see what's wrong with that." Kise answered. Kuroko's eyebrows twitched.

" _Ryou-chan_?!" There were unison gasps coming from the Seirin team. "He was the best friend?!" It was then that Riko noticed the oversized shirt that 'Kuroko' had on. "Kuroko-kun, what's with the huge shirt?" she asked.

"Yeah, is it your Dad's or something?" Tsuchida asked. Silently, Kuroko prayed that Kise wouldn't answer it truthfully.

"No, it's his." Kise answered, pointing his thumb in Kuroko's direction. The blond nearly died. "I feel comfortable in his shirts." Kuroko couldn't take anymore. He prayed that they would have switched back tomorrow, so that Kise would be the one to feel Seirin's wrath.

No one knew what to say, instead there were splutters and such flying about in the room. Kuroko then spotted the DVDs and then an idea came into his head to save his head and change the subject.

"Ano," he began, "Since you will eventually face Aominecchi, I would like you to see something." He then went to the DVD player and put the DVD in. He then pushed the play button and they began watching.

_xxxx_

"That's…Aomine Daiki?" Kagami said in awe.

"That's the monster that we'd be going up against. And what's even worse, this middle school, so imagine what he's like now." Kise said.

"I can't even." Hyuuga added. "How are we going to defeat him? We won't even have Kagami."

"Why?" Kuroko asked.

"He injured his legs in the Shutoku match."

"Well, isn't that just wonderful?" Kuroko said with his voice laced with sarcasm. "You would have been the best person to go up against him since your play style is so similar."

"Sh-shut up!"

"This is a serious problem." Riko said. "If he's this good in middle school…and comparing the improvements of the other miracles, honestly, I don't want to play against him."

"Well, it's unavoidable. He's in Tokyo after all." Kise shrugged. "We're going to meet him in the championship league."

"So…what are we going to do?" Furihata asked. "I'm not even playing and I've gotten chills just by watching him."

"Well, we have a couple ideas, but I doubt that we'd be strong enough to take on Touou."

"Eh?!" was the unison outburst. "Touou?!"

"I thought all the members of the Generation of Miracles went to well-known schools!" Koganei said.

"I thought he would've gone to a strong school like Midorima." Izuki added.

"We're his former teammates, we're sure." Kuroko said.

"That's unheard of." Hyuuga joined in.

"Touou's history isn't impressive, but it seems like they've been putting energy into their scouting efforts recently, recruiting promising athletes from all over the country. In the last few years, they've rapidly gained power, and this year's lineup is comparable to Shutoku." Riko continued.

"I don't believe it." Fukuda said.

"That's why; we have to do whatever it is we can until we meet them." Kise said. "That match is going to be scary."

Same time, they heard a sound. Looking in the direction of the sound, Kise realized that it was his phone ringing. Quickly, Kuroko went to answer it. A smile tugged on his face as he saw who it was.

"Senpai!" he answered, trying his best to be as chirpy as Kise would.

" _Coach agreed to let me miss practice tomorrow. What time should I be in Tokyo?_ " Kasamatsu said.

Kuroko then removed the phone from his ears, "When will your practice start tomorrow, Aida-san?"

"At ten." She replied. The players blanched at that. But she was confused as to why 'Kise' asked her about Seirin's practice time.

"Alright, say around nine o'clock."

Kasamatsu sighed. " _Well, isn't that early for a Saturday?_ " He asked with sarcasm.

"We need to get as much training in, Senpai."

" _Hai, hai. I'm hanging up. And don't make me wait too long at the station!_ "

"I won't." Kuroko said. The phone then hung up and Kuroko turned to face Kise. He had a smile on his face. "Senpai is coming."

"Good." Kise smiled. He then looked in Furihata's direction. "Furihata-kun, could you meet us at the basketball court at nine o'clock tomorrow?"

"Eh? Sure, but why?"

"We've got a teacher for you. So we decided that you'll start before team practice."

"Who's this 'teacher'?" Izuki asked.

"It's Kasamatsu-senpai." Kise deadpanned.

"What?!" Hyuuga asked. "How did you manage that?"

"Well…" he trailed off, "…let's not get into details about that."

"Anyway, before Tetsucchi's parents get home, we're going to show you what we have in mind for training."

"Right," Riko said, the living room was then immersed in silence as the two boys began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	21. Preparation for Touou

Chapter 21

...

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The alarm clock sounded which caused the two to stir in their sleep. Kise was lying on his back and actually snoring; Kuroko was on his side facing Kise and was drooling. With a loud groan, Kise turned towards the clock, made an attempt to stop it, but failed.

"Tetsucchi," Kise groaned in a soft voice.

"Hmm?" Kuroko answered, barely awake. His long lashes lifted slightly only to see Kise. He then looked at the annoying clock and saw that it was just fifteen minutes after seven o'clock. "It's too early to get up, Ryou-kun. We're not going jogging." Kuroko said as he covered underneath the sheet.

"That's not it, I want to turn off the clock but your arms are too short, I can't reach it." He murmured.

Mumbling something inaudible, Kuroko then inched closer to Kise and then stretched over the boy; however, he couldn't reach it either. The clock was on the table which was couple inches away from the bed. No matter how much Kuroko stretched, he couldn't reach it due to Kise being in front of him. "You have to get up to turn it off." Kuroko then said. "I can't reach it either."

Kise groaned aloud. "I don't want to." He then turned his back to the table to face Kuroko. "I'm too tired." Truth be told, both boys stayed up until early hours of the morning, because Kise had a stroke of inspiration to create couple new passes to use in games.

"But so am I."

No one budged. Too lazy and too tired to get up, they tried to go back to sleep even with the annoying clock sounding. But then, they heard a knock on the door.

"Tetsu-chan! It's time to get up! Breakfast is ready!"

Hearing the voice at the other side of the door, both boys' eyes flew open. They then bolted upwards. Kuroko swung his feet off the bed quickly, while Kise was busy fighting the sheets that entangled his small body. While Kise struggled, he ended up falling off the bed to the floor, along with the sheets.

Swiftly, Kuroko went over to the boy and tried to untangle him. But in his head, he wondered about the amount of sheets that they were sleeping with. With a couple of movements, Kise was free of the sheets, and the two were motioning for the door. When Kise opened it, and looked at Kuroko's mother, she let out an ear-shattering scream.

The two stumbled backwards into the room, followed by the sounds of thundering footsteps rushing in their direction.

"What's wrong, Asami-chan?!" Kuroko's father asked his frightened wife. She was clutching her chest at the heart and trembling.

"It-it-it's nothing, Hikaru-kun." She voiced out.

He then looked in the room at the two boys and jumped in shock. "Tetsuya, Kise-kun, aren't you two models?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." Kuroko managed to say.

"Then why do you both look so terrible? You almost gave my wife a heart attack." He then helped up Asami to her feet. "Go freshen up; I've seen corpses that looked better."

Kuroko and Kise blanched. Kuroko then looked in the mirror and realized that he _did_ look awful. His golden hair was in disarray, sticking out in all directions that one could think of, his face wasn't glowing due to the need to sleep. He then looked to Kise.

"I'm already used to your horrid morning looks, Tetsucchi." He shrugged. But Kise was no better. For once, Kise had terrible bed hair, far worse than when he would have before the switch, his eyes were drooped and it seemed like there were dark circles there as well. And to add to that, his body's complexion is naturally pale.

But Kuroko had to admit, even though Kise looked like that, there was something that still made the boy look good. Even though he was looking at _his_ body, all he could see was _Kise._ Kuroko shook his head to rid the thoughts.

"I'm going to take a shower," he then drawled. He went for the door, but turned to look back at Kise. Living with the boy for two weeks made him get used to certain things he never would have. "Aren't you coming?" He stopped. He couldn't believe that he just said that. He then sighed, realizing that it is all because during the two weeks that they lived together, there wasn't a day that Kise didn't shower with him.

"Yeah, but I have to take a picture!" he was taken out of his thoughts when he heard Kise replied. Turning around, he saw that the boy was grinning. "This is my first time having bed hair!" Kuroko shook his head and chuckled.

"Aren't you a little too excited over bed hair?" He asked.

"Nope!" Kuroko then heard the 'shutter' sound which meant that the picture was taken. Kise then looked at Kuroko. "Why don't we take one together? We both look atrocious, anyway."

"Fine," Kuroko agreed. Lately, these days he's realizing that he isn't denying Kise anymore. Usually, he would have already no, but now...

"Yay!" with what seemed like inhuman speed to Kuroko, Kise was already by his side, with the phone held in the air. "Make a face, Tetsucchi!"

Involuntarily, Kuroko yawned. Kise grinned. He pretended to look sleepy and then snapped the picture as soon as Kuroko had stopped yawning. The two then gazed down at the picture and erupted in laughter.

"What's with that _face_ , Tetsucchi?" Kise laughed. "Good grief!"

"Me? What about you?" Kuroko chuckled. When Kise saw him, he remembered his days in Teikou. He couldn't remember if he had ever seen Kuroko smile or laugh back then, but he was glad that he was now, and that he saw it. And him only. _Wait, where did that thought come from?_ He thought. But looking at Kuroko he noticed something and he couldn't hold back what he was about to say.

"No matter how many times at you, I don't feel as though I'm looking at my body." Kise started, "I'm still seeing you Tetsucchi. Your soft light blue hair and big blue eyes..." he trailed off, feeling the heat rush to his face. Quickly, he turned away, not wanting Kuroko to see.

"I understand." He replied. "I f-fe-feel the same." He stuttered.

Kise turned back around just in time to Kuroko red with embarrassment. After a moment of silence, the two then went to take a shower.

_xxxx_

"Tetsu-chan, what did you do to your hair?" Kuroko's mother ― Asami ― asked. This caught his father's attention as well.

Kise had a smile on his face. "I just used some hair products." He replied in Kuroko's usual manner. His hair wasn't spiked as before, but instead neatly framed his face. On his right side, his hair was pulled back slightly with a red clip.

"It looks nice," Kuroko's father ― Hikaru ― complimented. "You should keep it that way."

"I plan to." He smiled. Kuroko on the other hand, kept quiet throughout the conversation. He quietly ate his food, while Kise chatted away with his parents. Remembering when Kise was spending the two weeks with him, Kuroko now understood what Kise felt at that time. Eating breakfast with family but unable to talk to them how he would've wanted.

"By the way, Kise-kun, what were you doing in Tetsuya's room so early?" Hikaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I fell asleep when we were working on some training plans." Kuroko answered. It wasn't a lie, but Kuroko had a feeling that Kise would've crawled into his bed in the middle night, just like when they were in Kanagawa.

Not that he minded. He paused. _Wait, what?_

"Oh, I was beginning to wonder if it was something wrong with the guest room." Asami joined in.

"Ah, no. The guest room is fine!" he quickly answered. They resumed eating after that and before they realized, time went by quickly and it was now eight thirty. Both boys had finished breakfast and went upstairs to pack their bags, but as soon as Kuroko was done, he left because he had to meet Kasamatsu at the station.

Kise left the house a short while after Kuroko, slowly making his way to the street ball court. Since the time was already early, he knew that he didn't have to rush. Walking around the neighbourhood, Kise realized that it's quite peaceful. There was hardly anyone walking about, something which he was grateful for.

"Ah, but then again, no one notices my presence anyway." He sighed. Soon, he neared the court but he heard voices coming from there. Approaching, he saw that it was the three freshmen. He silently entered the court and watch what they were doing.

They were doing jogs and sprints, and then he saw Kawahara attempt a hesitation dribble while he was blocked by Fukuda. He then passed to Furihata who dashed for the net and made a layup.

"Hey, two-on-one...isn't that classified as murder?" he joked.

The boys looked in the direction of the voice. They jumped in fright.

"Ku-Kuroko?!" Fukuda said.

"How long have you been there?" Furihata asked. He then noticed his hair. "Did you do something to your hair? You look different."

"Oh, just in time to see you doing sprints and jogs and that layup. And yes, I just decided to change it up a little." He answered. He then walked over to them. "What are you two doing here anyway?" he asked Fukuda and Kawahara.

"We came to get some extra training." Kawahara answered.

"Also, we were hoping that Kise-kun would've been here as well." Fukuda added.

"Oh, he and Kasamatsu-senpai will be here shortly. So continue with what you were doing, don't let me stop you."

_xxxx_

Kuroko made his way to station, carefully avoiding eye contact with people as much as possible. He was dressed in a simple black jeans and t-shirt, with a black cap and a surgeon's mask covering his lower face. He was still noticed by people but thankfully, they haven't realized that he's Kise Ryouta. He exhaled a breath of relief at that.

Nearing the station, Kuroko heard giggles. Looking in the direction, he saw that it was coming from a group of girls who were staring at a billboard picture. He then trailed his eyes to the billboard and gasped in shock.

It was a picture of both him and Kise. They were sitting outside under a tree, dressed in casual clothing. He was directly facing the camera, dressed in a white shirt underneath a dark coloured dress shirt that he left unbuttoned. He wore light brown shorts and fixed his sunshades on his white shirt. He had a plate of sliced watermelons in from of him with one in his mouth. Kise was beside him dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and dark blue shorts. He was eating a popsicle, putting his back on Kuroko's right side, facing the outward direction. The caption of the picture read ' _How to beat the Summer heat'._

"When did they put that up?" he asked himself. He was informed that a picture of theirs would be placed on a billboard but Yoshino didn't state when or where. He then moved off, remembering that Kasamatsu would kill him if he made him wait too long.

He reached the station in due time, and waited at the outside. He sighed a relief seeing that his captain isn't here as yet. But as soon as he thought that, he heard a voice behind him,

"You didn't make me wait."

He turned around, and saw the smiling face of Kasamatsu. "Senpai!" he wailed as he lunged at the third year. Quickly, he stepped out of the way, causing Kuroko to crash into the ground.

"Why did you move?" he sniffed, pretending to cry.

"You lunged at me. We both would have crashed into the ground and I didn't want that." He replied with a shrug. Kuroko got up onto his feet as Kasamatsu began walking off.

"So, where are we going?" he asked.

"First, we're going to a street ball court." Kuroko answered.

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow. "I thought we'd be doing this in a gym."

"Aida-san has the key and well...her training begins at ten."

"If Seirin's training begins at ten, what are we going to be doing during their training session?"

Kuroko smirked. "We're going to be training as well. We'll be training those three for almost the entire day you know."

"I see." They then walked off, heading to street court. Making a few steps from the station, Kasamatsu noticed the billboard that Kuroko was looking at not too long ago. He stopped and stared. Kuroko had walked on further not realizing that the captain had stopped.

"Kise!" he called out, not taking his eyes off.

Kuroko turned around, "Yes, Senpai?" he then paled as he saw Kasamatsu looking up at the billboard.

"Kuroko is a model? Since when?"

"Since a week before Inter-High." He answered. He then looked at his wristwatch and was alarmed at how fast the time flew. He walked up to Kasamatsu and grabbed his arm, running off. "If we don't hurry, we won't have enough time!"

"Alright, just let me go!"

Within a couple minutes of walking, running and jogging, the two reached the street court, panting for air. However, due to the three being deeply engrossed in their practice, they hadn't noticed when the two Kaijou players had walked onto the court.

"We're here." Kuroko panted heavily as he sat down on the bench.

"Thank you for coming Senpai." Kise said with a bow.

"It's not a problem," Kasamatsu replied. "After all, you've helped me a lot." They then turned to look in the direction of the trio. When the three saw Kasamatsu and 'Kise', they stopped what they were doing. Kise then called them over and introduced Kasamatsu.

"This is Kasamatsu-senpai. He'll be teaching you Furihata-kun."

"Good morning." He greeted.

"Good morning," they chorused.

"Now, let's get started..." Kuroko said, "...we have a time-limit before Aida-san's training begin."

"Hai!" the trio said.

_xxxx_

It was now five minutes to ten o'clock, the freshmen trio lay on the court tired and panting heavily. Kise sat on the bench and watched everything as it unfolded, scribbling down information. It was somewhat amusing, but most of all he kept watching Kuroko. A smile graced his face to see just how much the boy has grown in becoming Kise Ryouta.

"It's time for us to go to practice." Kise said as he stood up. "Coach can be quite cruel if we're late."

"But we only have five minutes." Furihata said. "How are we going to make it to Seirin in five minutes?"

Kise almost grinned but he managed to keep his face blank somehow. "You run."

"EEHHH?!" came the unison screech.

"Run? From here to Seirin?!" Fukuda asked. "Are you serious?"

"Very." Kise replied. With that he walked off but when he reached the gate, he began jogging on the spot. "It won't kill you. If you want to get stronger, then you have to start with this. You'll need stamina in basketball, and a lot of it." He then ran off. Kuroko and Kasamatsu followed, leaving the trio lying on the court.

_xxxx_

Chatter echoed inside the gymnasium, however, practice was yet to start. The boys were all sitting on the floor, doing simple stretches while Riko was off to one side, seeming to be in deep thought.

"Hey, I don't like that the coach seems to be pondering something." Koganei said. "It makes me feel like she's trying to find out a new way to kill us."

"Well, it will be for our own good." Izuki said. "What I'm worried about is the training that Kuroko and Kise cooked up. _That_ is what will kill us." He shivered.

"But when I look at what they want me to do, I think that they're right." Hyuuga joined. "We all saw what kind of monster Aomine was in middle school. I really can't imagine what he is like now."

"What did you get to do?" Koganei asked. "All I got was strength and shooting training and couple dribble techniques."

"Well, what they gave me was to be able to shoot threes out of my comfort zone. Meaning that, even if I'm double teamed, I can still make my shots go in." Hyuuga answered.

"That's rough," Tsuchida said. "Is that even possible?"

"They don't know. Kuroko told me that since Midorima is unstoppable, they were wondering if I could be as well, but I won't be shooting from the centre line though."

"That makes sense." Izuki said. He then chuckled. "It seems that I got off easy. All I got was wrist training, and along with that Kuroko is going to teach me his crazy passes."

"Crazy passes?"

"Like the ones he used in the Shutoku match."

"Oh. That's awesome!" Koganei shouted. "Since you already can do his normal passes!"

Mitobe nodded in agreement. They then fell into silence after that. Riko then walked over to them with a serious look on her face.

"I've decided that we'll begin training today with what Kuroko-kun and Kise-kun planned out. Afterwards, we go into our regular regime." The boys blanched. In that moment, they heard the gym door open. Kasamatsu was the first one to walk in, followed by 'Kise' who had Fukuda's arm slung over his shoulder. The boy looked absolutely worn out and when they looked at 'Kuroko' he had Furihata in the same position as Fukuda. He too, looked exhausted. Kawahara came up behind them, but immediately took a seat on the floor, panting heavily.

"Good morning." Kasamatsu greeted, as though there was nothing strange behind him.

"Good morning," Kuroko greeted as well, slowly helping Fukuda to the ground. Kise had already placed Furihata on the ground as well. He was tired as well, but not as tired as the three. _The weights training is really helping._

"Kasamatsu-san! Kise-kun! What are you doing here?" Riko asked upon seeing the Kaijou captain.

"I'm here to continue Furihata's training." Kasamatsu answered. "Kise's here to help with the other two's training as well."

Before Riko could say anything, at that time, Kagami walked in with a furious look on his face. Even Kasamatsu was frightened at his expression. When he had reached close enough to the group, he mumbled, "Good morning."

"Kagami-kun, you should fix your face." Kise said.

"How can I?!" he barked. "I want to practice! I can't stand watching you guys get all the fun!"

Kuroko sighed. Kagami is the still the idiotic hot-head that he knew. He then walked up to him and said, "Fine."

"Kise!" almost everyone screamed at him.

"Kise? What are you doing here?!" the redhead asked, pointing to the blond.

"I'm here to help. Plus, I just thought about something." He then turned to Riko, "Only his legs are damaged, right? So he can always practice with his hands." He then grinned. "By trying to shoot threes without jumping."

"Haah?" Kagami asked. "How the hell am I supposed to do that!?"

"Stand at the three point line, aim...and shoot." Kuroko replied. "That means you have to give the ball a high enough arc since you won't be jumping. It's not impossible to do."

"Then you do it!" he then roared.

"Fine." Kuroko picked up a ball that was lying around and walked towards the three-point line. He then bounced it three times and upon the fourth, went into shooting form.

He shot the ball.

Its arc was very high but not as high as Midorima's and it rotated in a clockwise motion. _Swish_. It went into the net perfectly, Kuroko then turned to face Kagami with a devil smirk on his face. His days of practice paid off.

The redhead huffed and folded his arms. "Alright." He mumbled.

"But Kise, what's the point of this anyway?" Koganei asked. "If he doesn't jump, the shot will be blocked."

"But his legs will heal by then right? And plus, the reason I suggested this, was because Kagamicchi needs to be able to shoot threes and not just dunk." Kuroko answered, "At Kaijou, for a part of any match, we have four players on the court who are able to shoot threes. So I was thinking that it would be good if Seirin had as much as possible."

"Not a bad idea," Riko said.

"But, as long as I can dunk isn't that ―"

"You're hopeless." Kuroko sighed.

"What? You wanna go, pretty-boy!?"

"Kagamicchi..." Kuroko started, "...forget it. You're injured, and I wouldn't want your coach to have my head." Kuroko then continued, "If the opponent knows that you will only dunk then they can stop you once you have the ball. Or they may force you to pass and the ball may get stolen. Do you want that?"

"Well, no." He mumbled. Hearing that reasoning, he knew 'Kise' was right.

To ease the tension in the atmosphere, Kise joined in. "Kasamatsu-senpai, Ryou-kun, let's go change. Follow me." With great haste, Kise grabbed their wrists and pulled them out of the gym.

"I find it strange that the enemy has infiltrated our camp." Koganei said.

"But if it's to make us stronger to take on Touou, then I don't mind calling a temporary truce." Hyuuga said. Everyone else nodded in agreement. After a couple of minutes, Kuroko, Kise and Kasamatsu returned to the gym, fully dressed and ready to train.

"I see you're ready." Riko smirked. "Then do what you have to."

"Yes, Coach." Kise replied. "Izuki-senpai let's go." He said to the point guard as he walked to another side of the court, Izuki followed with an excited look on his face.

"Furihata, let's go over here." Kasamatsu said.

"Hai!" he piped up. They went in the opposite direction of Kise and Izuki, while Kuroko, Hyuuga, Mitobe, Kagami, Fukuda headed over to the three-point line behind Kuroko. Koganei, Kawahara and Tsuchida went outside to do some jogs with the weights on.

_xxxx_

"These passes are mainly to increase the speed of the ball so that the opponents won't be able to block it. These passes aren't like the rest because you won't be changing the pass course." Kise explained to Izuki. "You'll be sending this _directly_ to your intended target."

"I got it. So where does wrist training come into this?" Izuki asked.

"For the normal passes." Kise answered. "I've noticed that you've been developing your own passes but it puts a strain on your wrists if they aren't flexible and strong enough."

"I see." He nodded in agreement.

"So, we'll first start off with two passes. I call them the Cyclone pass and Ignite Pass. The cyclone pass is a curve-ball with immense speed. Let's say, Hyuuga-senpai is by the three-point line and you're here but you want to get the ball as quickly as possible to him, you'll use the cyclone pass." Kise then took up a basketball and bounced it high enough. "Watch." He then grabbed it and spun on his left leg. When he had acquired the momentum he wanted, he then released the ball; it flew off, curving behind Furihata's back and within the blink of an eye, slammed into the backboard.

Izuki could only look on in shock. He was then taken back to reality when Kise started talking. "Well, that one is used to give the ball to someone who's at the net. Like Kagami-kun or Mitobe-senpai."

"And I'll be able to do _that_?"

"Yes. And many more." Kise deadpanned. He wanted to grin so badly. "Now let's get started."

_xxxx  
_

On the other half of the court, Kasamatsu and Furihata were going through some dribbling techniques, but were disturbed when a basketball whizzed past Furihata's back. The boy had yelped in surprise, and then looked at the backboard.

"What was that?!" he asked.

"It's nothing," Kasamatsu replied calmly. He'd been on the receiving end of a similar pass like that before. "Let's start with the hesitation dribble." Kasamatsu said. "And then we'll go into some ball handling techniques."

"Why are we doing the dribble first?"

"I figured that since you're a point guard, it'll buy you some time to think about your next move without your opponent not knowing what to expect."

"Okay."

Kasamatsu bounced the ball continuously, while Furihata went into a defensive stance. He then dribbled the ball and then paused. He made a movement to the left, so Furihata thought that he would have made a drive. However, Kasamatsu passed the ball to the open space on his right.

"See?" Kasamatsu said with a smirk. "But don't worry with enough practice you'll definitely get better."

"Hai!"

_xxxx  
_

Five minutes into practice and Kagami was already losing his cool. So far, every shot that he made, not one has gone in. It was because of two reasons, one: he couldn't jump and two:

"Die!" It was none other than Hyuuga. His captain's clutch personality took him over completely, causing him to shout all manner of things. "Take that suckers!" Hearing all those shouts almost every second, it's enough to make Kagami lose concentration to even glance at the captain. But, looking at him, Kagami felt both envious and proud that he was his captain (envious in the sense that he could jump to make his shots, proud in the sense that his shots were making it). Hyuuga was being triple teamed by 'Kise', Mitobe and Fukuda but out of the twelve shots he saw him shoot, six went in perfectly. However, it seems that his clutch personality was getting worse.

Sometimes Kagami saw Mitobe and Fukuda jump to block the shot, and other times he saw them push against Hyuuga (something similar to what he had to do to Papa), to make him lose his balance. It stopped him...sometimes.

"Bakagami!" Riko called out to the redhead. "Shouldn't you be shooting?"

"Uh, yeah." He replied. "But with Captain shouting out so suddenly it's hard to concentrate."

Riko smirked. "Feel Hyuuga-kun's pain. Do you have any idea what it's like for him to be shooting threes during intense matches? The audience roaring all around him, the players on the court shouting as well, even players from both benches adding to the noise. Add to that, he has to be thinking how to pass his defender and such." She then continued, "This is nothing, so stop complaining."

"You're right," he then took up the ball and went into shooting form. He then released the ball gently, but when he saw it, he thought that the ball had more height than distance. But the swish of the net said something different. His red eyes lightened up as he saw that it went in.

"Coach! It went in!" He shouted with glee.

"Okay. Then that one less sprint set for you." She said.

"Huh?"

"For every shot you missed, the amount of sprint set you'll be doing when your legs get better doubles."

"What?!" he asked, alarmed. "Then that meant, I had twenty sprint sets to do? That's cruel!"

"No it's not. Kuroko-kun advised me to give you special training."

"That little bastard," he snarled, looking in 'Kuroko's' direction. His head turned back to Riko when he heard her sigh.

"I didn't want to tell you this but..." she started, "...during the Shutoku match, Kuroko-kun told me something important. He said you have a hidden ability which is your innate jumping power. In addition to that, he said with it you'll be able to stand against the Generation of Miracles."

Kagami's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets in shock. "Kuroko...said that?"

"Yes, now enough dilly-dallying, get back to shooting!"

"Yes ma'am!"

_xxxx  
_

"Just what kind of monster is she?" Kasamatsu said as he collapsed on the floor. He was heavily panting and his arms and legs were weak from the training. But when he looked about him, he saw worst. 'Kuroko' was lying on his back, his hair matte with sweat and covered his face beside him was Hyuuga who sat on the floor with his back leaning on the wall. Izuki, Koganei and Furihata were lying on their faces in the middle of the court, while Kawahara lay on his side and Mitobe had a pale look to his face. Tsuchida was closest to the stage on his back; Kagami looked like a zombie as he walked towards his water bottle, his arms hung loosely at his sides.

To him, they all looked like they were dead. Then he realized that he didn't see 'Kise'. When his eyes scanned the gym again, he saw a tuft of gold at the net, flat on his face and not moving. _Yep, he's dead._ He reasoned. He then looked at her face and saw a smirk that made him think that she was a demon in the form of a teenage girl.

"Alright boys, you need to go freshen up!" she shouted.

"Hnnn..." was the unison reply. However, the groans seriously reminded Kasamatsu of zombies. No one could tell him otherwise.

"Kasamatsu-san," Riko said as she made her way to him.

"Uh, yes?" he answered.

"Thank you for helping us today." She said with a bow.

"It's no problem." He said. "But, your training is brutal, I must admit."

She smiled. "Of course, but some of the ideas were all Kuroko and Kise. Kuroko was the one who made started training with wearable weights." She then crackled like a witch, "Fufufu, its working well."

"Well, it is good to whip the body into shape..." he trailed off, "...but why did I have to wear it as well?"

"Well you _were_ a part of our training today. But, Kise-kun didn't complain."

"That's because he does it at Kaijou as well."

"Oh,"

Then slowly, the others were getting up. Legs wobbled, arms loosely swayed back and forth, but the looks on their faces were the worst. Kuroko had also gotten up and made his way to Kise. The boy was struggling to get up just like everyone else, so swiftly, he made his way to the boy. He then draped his arm around his shoulder.

"I had totally forgotten what kind of training I used to have here." He said.

"This is hell. But, I don't mind." Kise replied. "After all, we have _our_ training to do after this."

"You're joking." Kuroko said.

"No, the thing is I want to see just how well I can copy the miracles." Kise sighed, Kuroko's eyes widen from shock. "We're going up against Aominecchi, if we lose, then there's no doubt that you'd have to face him. He won't let up on you, and he knows to expect that you'd try to copy him."

"But there's no way I can play like the miracles, Ryou-kun."

"We won't know until we try. Plus, I don't expect you to perfect it. I just want you to be as close to those monsters as possible."

Kuroko sighed, "Hai, hai." The two then wobbled out of the gym with everyone else, Kuroko knowing that with every step he took, he was getting closer to his doom. Looking at Kise, he saw that the boy had on a smile on his face and he couldn't help but inwardly cry knowing that once they left Seirin, Kise will murder him with training. _I want my body back!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	22. Enter: Momoi Satsuki

Chapter 22

...

Kise walked merrily through Seirin's gates; he couldn't help but to smile. Over the weekend, he and Kuroko trained some more, and well…he felt that Kuroko was becoming a monster in terms of skills. But, his smile was then erased as he remembered Aomine. With the training that they've prepared for Seirin, somewhere in the back of his head, he just knew that they weren't going to win Touou.

Soon, he made it to his class and sat down in his seat. As usual, no one notices his presence. But Kise didn't care anymore, he actually felt at peace. Since the teacher hasn't arrived yet, he decided that he'll take a nap; after all, his body was still aching from all that training. He placed his head on the desk and was about to doze when he heard a shout.

"Kuroko!" Kagami roared as he opened the door. This caught the attention of everyone in the room…especially the girls.

"Wait, did he say Kuroko?"

"I think so," and more whispers kept flying as the redhead made his way to Kise. With a sigh, Kise placed his cheek on his hand.

"Kagami-kun, usually people will say good morning first." He said.

"Good morning," he greeted, as he sat down in his seat. "Why didn't you tell me?!" he got back to shouting again.

"Tell you what?"

"The Coach told me what you told her in the Shutoku match about my jumps."

"Oh, well…it didn't cross my mind." Kise shrugged. "I guess I forgot to tell you." Kagami sighed. But then all that was forgotten as a flood of girls came rushing over to them.

"You're Kuroko Tetsuya!" one girl screamed. "Can-can I have your autograph?!"

"Can I take a picture with you?" another asked.

"Uh, my wrists are killing me from training so I'll just settle to take pictures instead. Sorry." In fact, his wrists were aching but he and Kuroko couldn't make any autographs since they can't copy each other's signatures.

After couple minutes of taking the pictures, the girls had finally dispersed. Kise felt a wave of nostalgia hit him but then he glared at Kagami who was still frozen in shock. _I'll get you back for this, Kagamicchi,_ he thought evilly.

_xxxx_

The gymnasium echoed with the sound squeaks, chatter and shouting. Currently, there was a four-on-four match being played, seniors vs. juniors. Kagami stood by the wall spinning a basketball on his fingertips.

"Damn it, I'm itching to play." He said as he watched the match.

Riko, who was beside him answered, "You have to wait until your legs heal!"

Looking back at the match, Kagami saw 'Kuroko' make a pass to Koganei who then passed the ball to Hyuuga. When the captain had made the shot, Nigou barked, startling Kagami.

"Nigou, you know how to play basketball?" Hyuuga turned around and asked.

"Arf!"

"You're quite the talker." Koganei joined in. while this was happening, Kagami was slowly retreating to the door, fearing the dog. Nigou then made his way inwards, going to the seniors. Kagami didn't hesitate to try to escape.

"Huh?" Riko asked herself when she saw him crawling to the door. "You really don't like them?"

"Yes." He answered. Seeing this, Kise grinned savagely. Taking up the dog and walking towards the redhead he then called out to him.

"Kagami-kun," Kagami held up his head and looked at 'Kuroko'. "Don't say that." He made a pitiful face.

"Don't look at me with those eyes!" he roared.

Kise then inched closer to Kagami with the dog. This made the redhead get up and starting running, of course, Kise was close behind him.

"He's cute." Kise said as he chased the boy.

"Don't, Kuroko! I'll kill you later!" Kagami said.

"It must be on purpose." The other members said in unison. After a while, both Kise stopped chasing Kagami. Instead, he put down the dog and bust with laughter. Being unable to control himself, he rolled on the floor until tears came out of his eyes.

And once more, this was caught on video. Riko held her phone and caught every moment of 'Kuroko' dying of laughter.

"Kagami-kun, you need to get over your fears now." Kise chuckled as he got up to his feet. "Nigou isn't going to bite you, he's so adorable!"

"Get that thing away from me! It's not adorable! It's a demon that wants my soul!" he screeched.

"Pfft!" this time everyone laughed out loud.

_xxxx_

At the Aida sports gym, the team was in the pool, awaiting instructions from their coach.

"Make sure you pay more attention to stretching than usual." Riko said. "We'll start with squats." She then blew her whistle, which indicated to the boys that they should start. Kagami sat on the bench, looking bored as he watched them. Even though it was a pool exercise, Kise still wore his weights and when Riko found out, she made the others follow suit.

"Okay, take a one minute break!" she said with a smile.

"These pool exercises are tough," Izuki said. "It's even worse with the weights on."

As for Kise, he made a mental note to never do this again. His arms and legs felt like jello, so ended up floating on his face.

"Kuroko don't sleep!" Hyuuga shouted. "Don't just float there!"

"I'm sorry but my legs gave out." He groaned out. He then made his way to the wall and sat there. He looked up at Riko with a sad expression. "Coach, can I take these off?"

She smirked. "Why Kuroko-kun? They're perfect for this type of training."

Kise sighed.

"Alright, let's go!" she said, blowing her whistle. Kise returned to the pool, and resumed doing the squats. Nigou had come along, but the moment Kagami saw him, he inched away.

"What a cute dog." He heard a voice say. Everyone present stopped what they were doing to see the origin of the voice. The boys almost choked on the water when their eyes saw her.

Momoi Satsuki.

"What are you doing here, Momoi-san?" Kise asked.

"You know her?" Koganei asked.

"Uh, who are you?" Riko asked as the pink haired beauty made her way towards her.

"Um, how should I put this? I'm Tetsu-kun's girlfriend." She answered. "I couldn't wait for the championship league so I came here."

"Tetsu-kun…" Riko trailed off.

"Kuroko Tetsuya-kun." Momoi clarified.

"What?!" was the unison screech that came from the boys present.

"You have a girlfriend?" Furihata asked in shock.

Kise felt a pang of jealousy and snorted. "As if." He didn't mean anything harsh when he said though. But luckily, Momoi didn't see nor hear that. He then reverted to being Kuroko, "She was my manager in middle school."

 _Teikou's manager?_ Hyuuga thought as he looked at the girl.

 _Championship league? Are we up against her school next?_ Riko thought.

Momoi ignored everything around her as she saw 'Kuroko' emerge out of the pool. "Tetsu-kun," she ran towards him with open arms. "It's good to see you again! I missed you!" she jumped on him and gave him a hug…which he didn't return.

"I can't breathe Momoi-san." Kise deadpanned.

 _I don't know what's going on!_ Koganei thought.

 _I'm unbelievably jealous, Kuroko!_ Izuki thought.

_Kuroko you lucky bastard, I hope you die!_

"Wait, why Kuroko?" Koganei asked. "He's dull, invisible and boring." Kise was not amused. She clung onto him from behind but if she could've seen his face…

"What? That's what's so good about him." She replied. "But isn't the way he becomes a different person when he plays striking?" she then asked. "Besides, he gave me a popsicle."

"What?"

She then went into the story of that day. When she was done, Kise almost bust with laughter. Kuroko never told him this story and honestly, when he gets back his body, he's going to have a field day with it.

"That's why I wanted to go to the same school as Tetsu-kun." She then said. Kise raised an eyebrow. _Then why didn't she?_ "But, but…" she got into dramatics, with tears at her eyes. She then turned her back and sounded as though she was crying. Kise's left eye twitched. _What the fuck?_

"Momoi-san, your voice echoes inside the pool, so please don't yell." He calmly said.

 _What's going on?_ Was the unison thought of the Seirin team.

"Who does she think she is?" Riko said. "Just because her boobs are a little big and she's kind of cute, you guys are making too much of a fuss over her. Right, Hyuuga-kun?"

Hyuuga looked at the window, he couldn't face Riko. "Yeah, right."

"Don't try to sneak glances at her!" Riko roared as she knocked him into the pool.

"You'll kill Hyuuga-san!" Momoi said.

"Eh? How do you know my name?" he asked.

"I know all of you." She replied with a finger on her lip. She then began to name out the members and their positions along with their specialties. "…and the barely-B Coach, Riko-san."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Riko screamed. _What's her problem?_ Kise then walked up to her and held her shoulders. He then leaned towards her ear and whispered,

"She's dangerous, Coach. For their match, we'd have to go with a whole new strategy." He then turned to Momoi, "Did you really go to Aomine-kun's school?"

"Yeah." She answered. "I really did want to go to your school. But who knows what he'll do if I don't watch him?"

"Are you his mother or something?" Kise mumbled. Thankfully, she didn't hear it. She then tried to pat Nigou but the dog refused to allow her.

"Riko-san, could I have a minute with Tetsu-kun please?" she then asked.

"Sure." The coach answered. "Come on boys; let's head back to the gym!"

When everyone had cleared out, they both took a seat on the bench. Kise silently prayed that she won't bring up anything that only Kuroko would know.

"Congratulations on advancing to the championship league." She started.

"Aren't you going too?"

"Huh, did I already tell you?"

"Well, it would be obvious with a player like Aomine in your team."

"The next time we meet, we'll be on different benches."

"Yes." Kise answered, not even looking at her.

"I watched a video of your game against Midorin. It was a great game. Kagami-kun…he plays just like how _he_ used to play."

Kise looked on with a blank expression. He only met Aomine in the middle of his second year, so really doesn't have that much idea of what he was like prior.

"Yes." Was the only thing he could manage to say. But in the corner of his eyes, he could see like a pained expression her face.

"Watching you two play, brought back memories. I prefer the way Aomine-kun used to play with you, and then he started playing basketball by himself. Isolated from the team, I thought losing would change him. But he doesn't lose. Even by himself, no one can stop him."

"I already know that." Kise said. He was confused as to where the conversation was going so before it reached a point where he would be completely lost, he had to ask. "But…what does that have to do with me?"

"I was thinking that maybe if someone beats him, then he'll change."

"Oh." Kise didn't want to promise her anything since he wasn't in the position to do so. But then a thought struck him. Since Momoi was here then that means Aomine was close by as well. He had a sinking feeling. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Eh?"

"It really was good to see you again," he said. With that, he dashed off, hoping to find Kagami before it was too late.

_xxxx_

Not wanting to stay at the pool anymore, Kagami had gone outside at a street court. _I can't just sit around anymore,_ He thought as he bounced the ball. _The pain's mostly gone!_ He then attempted to shoot a three but the moment he jumped, he felt a pang in his leg. The ball bounced off the backboard back to him.

"Hey." He heard a voice call out from behind him.

He turned around, "Hmm?"

"You're Kagami Taiga, right?" the boy asked. "Play me, I'll test you."

Kagami then realized that it was Aomine Daiki. "What?"

"If I tell you to play, you play."

"Well aren't you bossy, Aomine." Kagami smirked.

"Oh? You know me."

"Of course I do. I've heard about you, but you can't expect me to just say yes when you talk down to me like…"

Aomine chuckled, cutting him off. "Come on, now. I said I'm not asking, shut up and play. No one's expecting a real match. I told you, I'm testing you." He then continued, "I'm not looking for something that doesn't exist, like stronger player than myself. I just want to know just how much you can do to relieve my boredom."

Unable to deny a challenge from the Generation of miracles Kagami inhaled then exhaled. "From Kise to Midorima, the Generation of Miracles is full of guys that piss me off. But you're exceptional even among them. I'll crush you!"

The game then started.

_xxxx_

Kagami stood before Aomine, panting heavily and sweating profusely.

"This is ridiculous." Aomine drawled as he bounced the ball. "Did you really beat Midorima?"

"Bastard…"

"Tetsu's judgment must be clouded. You can't draw out his full potential." Kagami's eyes widen at the statement. But then Aomine continued, "He's a shadow. The stronger the light, the darker the shadow. In other words, he becomes stronger or weaker depending on the strength of the light." Aomine then drove passed him with such speed that Kagami couldn't react. "Your light is too dim." He then said.

When he was about to jump, he suddenly felt the weight of ball gone from his palm. "Sometimes a dim light is all I need." Kise said.

"Tetsu."

"Aomine-kun." Kise then walked over to Kagami. "You know that your legs are injured and yet you've played against him?"

"I'm sorry Kuroko but he ―"

"Pissed you off." Kise completed. He then sighed. "I knew that you wouldn't have done something so stupid without a reason."

"What's this Tetsu? Have you gotten dull over the months?"

"No, why ask?"

"Your new light is worthless." He said as he exited the court. Kise couldn't even counter him due him being surprised. But one thing he knew for sure that he was pissed. If he didn't have his head screwed on right, he would've challenged Aomine right there. He then looked back at Kagami and saw the look of absolute shock. For the time he's spent with Seirin, Kise knew that Kagami isn't what Aomine makes him out to be, he just hadn't the time and proper training to develop his talent. That being said, Kise was out for his head, hearing him call _his Tetsucchi's_ light worthless.

_xxxx_

"Hey guys! The names of all the schools appearing in the championship league are out! Riko said. "As you can see block A is us and block B is Touou Academy, block C is Meisei and block D is Senshinkan. These four schools will compete to represent our region."

"This is a fresh league chart." Hyuuga said as he stared at the paper.

"Until last year, the Tokyo representatives always included the three kings Shutoku, Seiho and Senshinkan." Izuki added.

"I've been thinking," Koganei joined in. "We beat two of these teams right?" he then turned to Izuki and Hyuuga. "Do you think this year we could make it all the way?!"

"You said it!" Hyuuga said.

"Even if we lose to Momoi-chan and Aomine, if we beat the others…"

"Have you forgotten what Kuroko-kun and Kise-kun told us? They go to Touou." Riko interjected.

"Hey!" Kagami said as he took off his shoes at the door. Kise was behind him with the most pissed off look they've ever seen. They gasped in shock at 'Kuroko's' expression but no one dared to ask him what's up. After all, seeing that face meant he needed time to cool off.

"You two are late!" Hyuuga said.

"Sorry, it's just that something happened." He answered. Nigou then barked at him.

"Nigou?" Riko asked looking at the dog. She then looked at Kagami's legs and stormed over to him. "Kagami-kun did you play basketball?" she asked sternly.

"Uh…"

"You've gotten worse."

"Well, I…a little."

"You idiot, Kagami!" she screamed as she held his head. "How many times must I tell you?! Are your ears for decoration? Are they just holes in your head?"

"Coach, please calm down." Kise intervened. The look she gave him made him shiver in fear. "It's not his fault. He met Aomine and well, he said some really nasty things and knowing Kagami-kun's temper…"

That seemed to have calmed her down. "What? He _played_ Aomine?"

"Yes, and well from where I come in, he was utterly destroyed."

"Sh-shut up!"

She then sighed. "You'll be just watching today! Get a heating pad from the nurse's office! And since you can't sprint, walk on your hands!"

"Seriously?" Kagami asked. He then went back to the door and made his way to the nurse's office on his hands.

"I don't believe that idiot!" Riko said with a stomp.

"Now, now Coach," Hyuuga said calmly. "Who are we playing first?"

"I'm mad because we won't have Kagami! Our first game is against Touou!"

Everyone was speechless at the announcement. Even Kise couldn't find the right words to say. He then walked over to his bag, and took out the phone. Quickly, he messaged the other boy informing him of the news. Since they are playing Touou first, then they would have to act fast. He decided that since that's the case, he' going to put in even more extra work in his training. If push comes to shove then…he shook his head to rid the thoughts. Then a message came in.

_Re: championship league_

_That's terrible! You think that they'll be able to match up against them?_

He sighed and replied.

_Re: championship league_

_I doubt that Tetsucchi. I seriously do._

This is not going to be a good match at all.

_xxxx_

Kuroko sat in the gym, rehydrating himself. He was tired from the training, but his body still ached from Riko's training, _plus_ Kise's training. And then what's even worse, he did his usual morning jog this morning.

"You're doing a good job." Kasamatsu said. "Keep it up."

"Thanks. But am I going too fast for you Senpai?" he asked. "Is it difficult to keep up with me?"

"What are you talking about?" Kasamatsu chuckled. "You're the ace, do what you want; I'll do my best to back you up. After all, I am your shadow."

"Senpai!" he wailed. But then he heard heavy vibration. Checking his bag, he saw that it was a text from Kise.

_Subject: Championship league_

_Guess what? Our first match is against Touou._

Kuroko jumped. Kasamatsu took note of it and raised an eyebrow at his kouhai. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Dreadfully," he answered. "Seirin's first match in the league is against Touou."

"Touou? Is that bad thing?" he asked. "In recent years, they haven't really been that impressive."

"Heh," Kuroko said. "Well, this year they got our ace and manager."

"Shit,"

"Yeah," he then replied to Kise asking about Seirin's wellbeing. He acknowledges Seirin's strength, but there was a part of him that felt that Seirin wasn't going to win against Touou. Not with Aomine in that state. The phone vibrated again, and when he saw Kise's reply, Kuroko started to worry. He raked a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I don't like how this is going at all." Kuroko said.

"Break's over! Back to practice!" the coach's voice too him out of his thoughts. Kasamatsu got up and extended a hand to him.

"Whether you like it or not, in Inter-High, all you have to do is give it your all so that you can _like_ where it's going."

"Hai, Senpai." Kuroko said as he took his hand and got up onto his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	23. Seirin vs. Touou Pt. I

Chapter 23

...

Finally, it was the day of the championship league. Kise was actually a nervous wreck, seeing that they couldn't obtain a video of Touou's matches prior to this which meant that Kuroko couldn't help. He sat up in his bed but when he looked at the clock, he saw that it was just five thirty in the morning.

He sighed, "I must be turning into Kagamicchi."

He then got up and headed to the shower. With a quick bath, he was back in his room, putting on a sweat pants and t-shirt. He took up the basketball from the corner, left his room and headed downstairs. Quietly, he exited the house and jogged his way to the street court.

Without even realizing, he had reached the street court a bit fast. He chuckled to himself and then dribbled down the court and proceeded to dunk. He then paused. Looking at the net at the other end of the court, made him think. He inhaled then exhaled.

Focusing on the net before him, he then bounced the ball three times. _I can do this…_ He thought over and over and over in his head. Remembering all the times he's seen Midorima do it, he felt as though it was about time he attempted it.

Going into shooting form, he then released the ball. Its arc was as high as Midorima's, and there was a glint of hope in his eyes.

_Swish._

It went into the net perfectly. Kise couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at his trembling hands and shouted for joy.

"Was that just luck?" he then asked himself. "Must be. But anyway, that means there's a possibility." He smirked. "I can't wait to get my body back, nanodayo." He mocked Midorima's speech. He then erupted with laughter.

_xxxx_

The front of the gymnasium buzzed with chatter as people from all walks of life slowly made their way in. Kuroko looked around and was glad that he brought his mask and cap with him. If he hadn't, then he would have been mobbed. Slowly but surely, Kasamatsu and Kuroko made their way inside the gym. When they neared the notice board, Kuroko spotted a familiar face and decided to call out to him.

"Hey, Midorimacchi." He said, startling the green-head.

He turned around and spotted the blond. "Kise?!"

"Since you're here, why don't you watch the match with us?" he asked. He then took notice of the sunglasses. "Why don't you remove the glasses? You look strange."

"I'm not ―"

"Oh come on, Midorima." Kasamatsu joined in. "Join us." The point guard didn't mind the shooter at all, but he thought that he shouldn't leave Midorima (a boy who could have been his kouhai) by himself.

"Alright," Midorima succumbed. "It's only because Kasamatsu-san invited me."

"Fine by me." Kuroko said. They then headed off to find some good seats.

By the time they were seated, a couple minutes after, Midorima heard a voice that made him jump.

"Shin-chan, fancy seeing you here."

_xxxx_

"A lot more people turn out for the championship league." Takao said to his fellow teammates as they walked towards the gym's entrance.

"Huh? Where's Midorima?" Miyaji asked the hawk-eyed player. It was just registering that their shooter wasn't with them.

Takao then went into his pocket and took out his phone. Pushing the phone close to Miyaji's face, the third year saw that it was a message.

 _I don't want to._ It read.

"Kimura, pineapple!" he said as he made a threatening chuckle.

"Yeah, I've got a real green one." He answered. Then they made their way to the notice board. Seeing the list, Otsubo started speaking.

"The Meisei vs. Senshinkan game should go to Senshinkan." He said. "The game that will shake the championship league is Seirin vs. Touou Gakuen." They then left and made their way to the seats. However, when they were about to sit in a row, Takao spotted someone familiar three rows up.

"Guys, why don't we sit further up?" he asked in a playful tone. Before he received an answer, he made his way two rows up. Otsubo sighed and followed the point guard, but when they saw _him,_ they now knew the reason for Takao to change seats.

"Shin-chan, fancy seeing you here." He joked.

"Takao!" he turned around to see the entire regulars of Shutoku taking seats behind them.

"I thought you weren't coming." Miyaji said with a dangerous smile.

"It's because I invited him." Kuroko said. "Actually, I have to buy him a lucky item so in exchange, I made him watch the match with us."

"Oh." They chorused. Midorima looked at 'Kise' as though he was a different person. The 'Kise' he knew would have stirred up more trouble but the one beside him gave off a different aura…He was taken out of his thoughts when the gymnasium roused up.

The teams had made their way onto the court.

_xxxx_

"It's almost time!" Riko said to her boys. "Is everyone ready?" the looks of conviction told her otherwise. "Only three out of the four schools will be going to Inter-High! Just like Koganei-kun said, it doesn't seem difficult at first glance. However…" she paused. Izuki and Mitobe then moved in and grabbed both his arms while everyone else moved away.

"Huh? What? Hey wait…" he trailed off as he saw the paper fan in Riko's hands. Without hesitation, she then slapped him across his cheek with it.

"If you think we can lose one because it's a league, we're finished!" she shouted.

"Why me?" he asked holding his cheek.

"It comes down to now!" she continued, completely ignoring the boy. We will win this game! Seirin, fight!"

"Yeah!"

_xxxx_

The two teams made their way onto the court, and placed their bags on their benches. When Kagami had put down his, he saw that he didn't see Aomine. He then walked over to Wakamatsu and asked,

"Where's Aomine?"

"That self-centered brat is running late." He said.

"Sorry. We're actually in a bind without him, too." Imayoshi joined in. Kise had heard the conversation and shook his head. He knew that the captain was lying. "He said he'd show up around the second half. I guess you could call us the opening act. Go easy on us."

Kise snorted so loud that it caught the attention of everyone. He then looked at Imayoshi with an intense glare before moving off. But in reality, Kise had a sinking feeling.

After all was said and they changed into their uniforms and headed onto the court. When Kagami was walking to get into position, Izuki stopped him.

"Kagami, you've already played Aomine once, right?" he asked. "Your motivation hasn't dropped, has it?"

"No way," he answered calmly. "If anything, I'm pissed." He then looked at the other players. "If these guys are the opening act, I'll pull so far ahead they can't catch up and make their star the world's biggest idiot."

Kise was relieved to hear Kagami say that but he couldn't shake the feeling he had. "You're right." He joined in. "While he's absent, we should score as much as we can."

"Yosh! You got it." Hyuuga said. "Let's go all out from the start."

The ball was then thrown into the air for the tip-off, Kagami managed to knock the ball to Izuki but Imayoshi stole it before the point guard could catch it. It stunned everyone.

Imayoshi then ran down court with the ball with Hyuuga chasing him. Hyuuga then managed to get in front of him to stop the point guard. _We'll break away now and take control of the game!_ He thought.

"You're quick, aren't you?" Imayoshi said. "We have no choice then." He said as he passed the ball behind him. "We'll start by having our kamikaze captain pave the way for us." The ball landed in Sakurai's arms and within a heartbeat he got into shooting form and released the ball.

"Sorry!" he said. The ball went in perfectly.

 _A three! His movements are incredibly fast!_ Hyuuga thought. He then turned to Imayoshi as he walked off. "Calling yourselves the opening act was evil."

"Huh? I wasn't lying. You'll know once Aomine gets here. We're cute little kids compared to him." He then regrouped with the others. "I told you, we're just the opening act."

 _It's not just number nine, but the other four as well. They're not underestimating us._ Izuki thought.

Kise looked on at them. _This is going to be tough,_

Up in the audience, Kaijou and Shutoku couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"They got that three pretty quick," Kasamatsu said.

"Yeah," Kuroko agreed. "I'm not sure if I can say this as yet but that number nine seems to be a dangerous shooter."

"I agree." Otsubo joined in. "That was a pretty fast release."

They then turned their attention back to game, just in time to see a shot bounce off the rim of the net but was rebounded by Wakamatsu. It was now four minutes into the first quarter, Touou was on eight, while Seirin was on four.

The centre then passed the ball to Imayoshi was already on his way to Seirin's net.

"What are you going to say this time?" he asked Izuki. Imayoshi then looked as though he was going to shoot the ball so Izuki jumped. However, he then noticed that the ball position changed mid-air. _A double clutch?_ He thought in shock.

The ball went in smoothly.

"When you heard Aomine would be late, I bet you thought you could score as many point as you can." Imayoshi said. "I guess I misspoke. We're only an opening act compared to Aomine." He then pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "We're probably stronger than you."

The game resumed, Touou making it to ten while Seirin hadn't moved.

 _They're strong. I didn't think they'll be this strong. If they're this good without Aomine, we're screwed._ Riko thought.

"Really?" he said out loud. This gained the attention of the other two freshmen.

"What is it, Furihata?" Kawahara asked.

"Touou's preliminary scores." He said as he showed the boy the paper.

"That's amazing; they're all 100 point games!"

"Yes, they're the opposite of Seiho." Riko joined in. "An offensive team." They then heard the crowd roused up which caused their attention to be diverted to the court. Sakurai had the ball and released it. Hyuuga tried to block him but failed.

 _Damn it, I can't block him! He shoots while jumping!_ He then became irritated. _And if you're going to apologize, don't do it in the first place!_

The shot bounced off the rim of the net, but with Susa guarding him closely, Kagami found it difficult to pass to get the rebound. But both Susa and Wakamatsu aimed for the ball to push it back into net.

 _These guys…their care for their teammates is minimal and there's no coordination at all!_ Kagami thought.

Kise was not amused by the way this game was going. When he regrouped with the rest of the team, he looked to Izuki.

"Senpai, we have to do something, at this rate we'll be doomed when Aomine-kun gets here." He said.

"I agree." Izuki replied. "I think we should try using the same tactic that we used against Seiho. The constant run-gun."

"I don't think that's a bad idea. If we're in constant motion, they'll have a hard time blocking us right?"

"Yeah."

The game continued, Izuki was being blocked by Imayoshi. Kise then passed the ball to him, and in that instant when they saw Izuki receive it, the other players dashed off towards the net. Touou had no idea what was going on, but when Imayoshi looked back at Izuki he saw he didn't have the ball.

It happened so fast.

Izuki had already passed the ball to Kise who redirected it to Hyuuga who was waiting at the three point line. The moment he got the ball, he shot a three. He then turned to Sakurai,

"I don't plan on losing this game, you apologetic mushroom."

Wakamatsu had then retrieved the ball and chest passed it to Imayoshi who was facing Izuki. He then bounced the ball, but Wakamatsu had then run off into Seirin's half of the court. He did a long pass to him, however, as soon as Wakamatsu was about to catch it, Kise jumped in and sent the ball flying back to Hyuuga. It landed squarely in his palms and he sank another three.

When Wakamatsu went to retrieve the ball, he noticed that the other Seirin players were making their way back except Hyuuga. He was still at the three point line. Imayoshi couldn't care less about that. However, as soon as he was about to receive the ball from Wakamatsu, Kise appeared and in between Imayoshi and the ball and sent it to Hyuuga without hesitation.

Grinning, the captain landed another three with ease.

Wakamatsu was furious. "Those little shits have gone and done it now." He said as he regrouped with Sakurai.

The crowd was stunned.

"Where did he come from?"

The game restarted, this time, all of Seirin's players made their way back to their half of the court. Everyone knew that the same tactic won't work twice against them. Kise was not going to ease up, not until this match was over and his bad feeling was gone.

When he saw Touou's players coming, he looked at Izuki and nodded. "Go!" Izuki shouted. Then everyone dashed off towards the Touou players, but Touou still wasn't fazed. However, they underestimated them in that aspect. Due to Seirin's players suddenly dashing off, Imayoshi hadn't realized that he was distracted by this a tiny bit.

Kise made use of that distraction and stole the ball, sending rocketing to Izuki, who quickly redirected the course to Hyuuga who already by the three point line. Putting his training to good use, Hyuuga didn't even wait to be comfortable, he released the ball.

It went in perfectly.

"Take that suckers!" He screamed.

Touou was shocked. _This wasn't in Momoi's predictions!_ Imayoshi thought. Seeing the look on Imayoshi's face, Kise grinned. "I'm pretty sure your manager predicted how Hyuuga-senpai would grow right? However, I think she made a miscalculation. And I won't tell you where." He deadpanned. Just then he looked over at her, and smirked. She was taken by surprise at the sudden show of emotion.

"Tetsu-kun?" She was then taken out by surprise as the crowd roused up. Once more, she saw Hyuuga with the ball and was shooting. Sakurai couldn't stop him. "What's going on?"

However, Hyuuga didn't shoot the ball. Instead, he made an aerial pass to Kagami, who without hitch dunked the ball with such strength due to him being fired up.

"Yosha!" he shouted with glee. "Nice pass, Captain."

Touou were not amused, however, they didn't let that fazed them.

The game progressed, Touou blocking Seirin's players, both drives and attempts at shots. Seirin were unable to make their usual plays. When Riko saw this, she immediately knew what happened. "We've been researched by her."

"This isn't good is it?" Kawahara asked. "We have to do something."

"There's no need," she smiled. "We'll keep playing like this."

"What?" Koganei asked.

"No matter how accurate their information, it's from the past. Humans grow."

Hyuuga had received the ball was facing off against Sakurai. He then pretended to make a three when his true intentions were to dribble past Sakurai and make a shot. However, as soon as he made for the drive, Sakurai blocked him.

"What?" Kagami said shocked.

 _They haven't seen this pattern before!_ Izuki thought. _They shouldn't have this data!_ He then turned to Hyuuga, "bring it back Hyuuga!" when he received the ball, looking at his options, he then realized that no matter what he would do, Touou already knew how to counter it. _We can't break through!_

Seeing the struggles, Kise decided to act. While Izuki continuously bounced the ball, he ran behind Sakurai to set up a screen. Izuki then passed the ball back to Hyuuga who once more made a drive for the basket. He manages to break away due to Kise being behind Sakurai. Susa then ran to block to Hyuuga thinking that he would've made an outside shot. However, Hyuuga bounced the ball through Susa's legs to Kagami who then made a dunk.

It was now the end of the first quarter, Seirin was at twenty-one while Touou was at twenty-five.

"If there's anyone who can stop Momoi, it's you two." Riko said to her boys.

"But Coach, she may predict that." Kise said. "I'm sure of it."

"But you two are the only ones who she doesn't have enough data on." Hyuuga said. "She has data on us for a whole year."

"In times like these, I wished you three could play." Kise sighed, looking at the freshmen trio. "I know she has absolutely no data on you so Touou wouldn't know what to expect."

They then fell into silence. Kise then got up off the bench and stretched. "Well, let's do this, Kagami-kun."

After that, the buzzer sounded. The teams returned back to the court, when they got into positions, Kagami stole a glance at 'Kuroko' and nodded to the boy. Seeing this, Izuki grinned. He then passed the ball to 'Kuroko'. He then used the ignite pass to send the ball flying to Kagami who was already reaching for it. Susa and Wakamatsu then went into position to block Kagami.

They were falling.

Kagami was still in the air.

 _Hey how long are you going to stay in the air?_ Wakamatsu thought.

Kagami dunked the ball with success. But when landed on the ground, he felt the pain in his legs. Luckily, Kise was the only one who caught the look of pain on his face. He then walked over to him and pulled him down so that his ears would be at his mouth.

"Kagami-kun, remember the training you've received. Try sink some threes if your legs are hurting." He whispered. Kagami's eyes widen with shock as he looked at 'Kuroko'.

"How'd you…?"

"Your face is quite readable, Kagami-kun." They then moved off to defend, but as he was running, Riko noticed it. _You're kidding!_ She thought in horror.

She then turned to Koganei, "This is an emergency. Koganei-kun get in as soon as possible."

"Seirin member change!"

"Kagami! Change!" Koganei called out to the boy since he wasn't paying attention.

"What? Why me?" he asked. "We're just getting started."

"Just go back, the coach noticed." Koganei answered.

In the audience, the crowd was confused as to why Kagami was subbed out.

"What is Seirin thinking?"

"Schools without a proper coach just can't cut it."

Hearing all these comments made Kuroko red with anger. Raising his foot, he then kicked the back of the seat of the guy who said that.

"Hey! What was that for?!" The guy stood up and shouted.

"Because you're a fool. If you had watched the Shutoku match, you would have realized that their number ten had damaged his legs. And it's clear as day that they haven't fully healed as yet." Kuroko deadpanned. "Now move out of my way, I wish to see the match and not you."

Kasamatsu had to double his lips to prevent himself from bursting with laughter. Under other circumstances, he would have reprimanded the blond, but after training with Seirin that Saturday, he felt that the guy deserved it.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Me? Of course I'm Kise Ryouta." Kuroko answered coolly. "And I do know that you're a nuisance that's blocking my view."

"Kise!" Midorima shouted at him. "Stop this! It's unsightly." But he had to admit that the way Kise spoke gave off a feel of maturity. Seeing the look in Kuroko's eyes made the boy back down without another word.

"Midorimacchi, he just said something rude." Kuroko said loudly enough for the guy to hear.

"I agree." Kasamatsu joined in. "I've been to one of Seirin's training before, and trust me, that girl is good. She knows what she's doing."

"Really?" Takao said. "Then that means they beating us wasn't a fluke, then."

"That's right." Kuroko said. He internally sighed. He couldn't believe that he just did that. Ever since he had to be Kise, he realized that he's showing his emotions more openly separate from when he's pretending to be Kise.

Back on the bench, Riko talked to Kagami. "Your injured legs haven't healed as yet, have they?"

"I'm fine! I'm totally…"

"You're not sick, and there's nothing wrong with you so I won't tell you not to play. I'm going to tape your legs, take off your shoes."

 _Damn it, I was just getting started._ Kagami thought.

The game continued, Izuki bounced pass the ball to Kise who redirected it to Hyuuga. As soon as he got the ball, he straightened to shoot but realized that he moved a little. He grinned.

"Die!" he screamed.

He shot the ball and it went in smoothly. _I better thank Kuroko and Kise for that training after the match. It really is a good thing to learn how to shoot out of my comfort zone._

Wakamatsu then received the ball and passed it to Imayoshi who was already towards Seirin's half of the court. He then

"Seirin's in trouble without Kagami." Kasamatsu said.

"Since they score around Kuroko but the problem is the other remaining four due to Momoi having data on their movements." Midorima added. "The hole left by Kagami is huge."

"Precisely. And what's worst, Kagami is the only one with a decent height so rebounds were possible. Looking at their centre and Touou's numbers six and seven…I would say trying to get a rebound would be a lost cause."

"Indeed." Miyaji joined in. "The score gap is just going to get wider if they don't do something."

"Before Aominecchi comes." Kuroko added.

Back on the bench, Kagami watched the match. "Please, just hang in there." He said.

"Calm down, Kagami!" Tsuchida reassured him. "Have a little more faith in everyone."

"I know!" he replied. "We'll beat Touou with team play!"

Riko had finished taping his feet and rose to her feet. "You can go now."

Within a heartbeat, Kagami took off his white shirt and was ready to head back onto the court. "Thanks," he told her.

"I'm sorry," he then heard her say. "The truth is, I don't want to send out an injured player but we can't win without you. We've been calling it team play, but it's actually a style someone taught me."

"Someone?"

"I'm not strong enough to draw out everyone's full potential, so I have to rely on you even though you're injured. My own weakness pisses me off." She said with a sad expression.

"What are you talking about? This isn't like you." Kagami said. "You make practice menus, you scout, give us instructions on the bench and even massage and tape us. If anything you do too much." He shrugged. He then continued, "You're the coach. You've got to at least come prepared during games. I mean, sending me off with an apology hardly amps me up."

She then smiled. "You're a brat, you idiot. Go get them!"

"Seirin member change!"

As Kagami was about to step onto the court, he felt a hand slung over shoulder.

"That's it, show some spirit…" Kagami's eyes widen as he recognizes the voice. "…so you can entertain me a little."

"You bastard!" Kagami shouted as he flung off Aomine's arm. Not one of Seirin's players had on a happy face, as they knew that things were just about to get even tougher.

"You're finally here?" Imayoshi said. By now, it was less than a minute left in the second quarter. "Hurry and get ready so you can play!"

"What? But you're winning." He replied.

"No you have to play." Their coach ― Harasawa Katsunori ― said.

"Fine. He drawled. He then flung his bag on the bench and took off his shirt. "Let's go." he said with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	24. Seirin vs. Touou Pt. II

Chapter 24

...

"Touou, member change!"

When Aomine walked onto the court, everyone could feel that he was a force that was not to be taken lightly.

The dark blue haired player then made his way over to where Kise was. The former blond then averted his eyes from Aomine, not wanting him to notice his rage. He was still boiling over the fact that he called Kagami worthless.

"Hey Tetsu, it's good to see you again." He started. "I was wondering what kind of face you'd make."

"We saw each other on Saturday." Kise deadpanned. "And why should you be wondering that? I honestly don't care what kind _you'd_ make."

Aomine chuckled. "You've gotten a little talkative these days. But anyway, you look ready to go."

"Well, given that fact that I have been playing since the start of the match."

Aomine then walked off. "I wonder what kind of play you'll show me. Well either way, you won't beat me." He smirked.

Kise twitched.

The game continued, the referee giving the ball to Susa who then passed to Sakurai. Hyuuga was right on him but the boy quickly bounced it to Imayoshi. Izuki then went to block to him but Sakurai had run up just in time and received the ball from Imayoshi.

In the audience, Otsubo had realized that something was strange. "What's this?" he said.

"Hey, their balance is off," Takao joined. "Don't they have too many guys on one side?"

"No, it's on purpose." Midorima answered. "Isolation. In order to allow special players to move freely, the remaining players gather to one side. There are several reasons to use this technique, but in this situation, it's exactly what it looks like. In other words, it's a one-on-one between the two teams' aces."

"Well it's obvious which ace will overpower the other." Kuroko said.

"Aomine?" Otsubo guessed.

"Yes, because of two reasons," Kuroko answered. "Kagami's legs are injured and he is yet to reach his full potential."

"It's rough on Kagami. He's injured but he's the only one who can play against Aomine." Kasamatsu said. "I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."

"I know." Kuroko agreed. _But I'm currently in Ryou-kun's._ Kuroko cried inwardly. He then brought his attention back to the match, seeing Aomine with the ball facing off against Kagami.

Aomine then smirked.

He dribbled between his legs so fast that Kagami couldn't block him. He then drove to the basket, until Hyuuga came up to block him. He paused and looking unaffected, spun around and continued for the net. However, as he was about to dunk the ball, Kagami came up and knocked the ball from his hands.

_He caught up in the second it took to roll?_ Aomine thought.

"He stopped him!" Riko cheered.

"All right Kagami!" Koganei joined in.

"So high!" Midorima said.

"Kagami is getting better." Kuroko said. "To be able to jump so high from that position, that's not normal."

Back on the court, the Seirin players were heading to Touou's half of the court.

"Now! Fast break!" Hyuuga shouted with Mitobe running beside him. He then threw the ball to Izuki but Imayoshi and Wakamatsu were already down there. Izuki had to stop.

"You can take your slow fast break and shove it!" Wakamatsu said. Imayoshi then dashed off towards Izuki in an attempt to steal the ball, but the eagle-eyed point guard passed the ball behind his back to Kise who used the Ignite pass to get the ball to Kagami.

"What is that?!" Imayoshi said in shock.

Kagami then jumped to make the dunk but Aomine had caught up and knocked the ball from his hands. Luckily, the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the first quarter.

"Oh? It's over?" Aomine said aloud in slight disbelief. "I was going to score one as a quick warm-up. What is this? Sheesh…" he then turned to face the others. "Pretty good though. At ten points behind, I thought you guys must suck, but you're not bad, are you?"

Hearing him say something like that left everyone both shocked and angry. They then headed to their locker rooms after the announcement was made.

"Ah, should we face them; they're going to be a pain in the ass." Kuroko sighed, gaining the attention of the Shutoku regulars as well.

"Especially that Aomine." Kasamatsu said.

"Yep. I really don't want to face him." Kuroko replied. "But it's not just him, the others as well. If you look at their play, you'll see that their offense and defense are all one-on-one. They get the ball themselves and score themselves. They don't really do teamwork; they attack their opponents with individual skills." Kuroko then smirked.

When Kasamatsu saw it, he couldn't help but smile. "Tell me, what you have figured out so far. I know you're itching to say it."

Kuroko couldn't help but smile. "Well, Touou's number four is a point guard. So far, he's able to shoot normally but his most dangerous shot is his double clutch. Their number nine is a shooting guard who jumps while shooting. Unlike other shooting guards who straightens first before they jump, he jumps while making his shot. The best way to stop him to make him jump first, so when he releases the ball, whoever is blocking him would be able to slam the ball back into his face. I think Kobori-senpai would be effective against him due to his height. As for their number six, he's a centre whose speed is annoying. If he gets away from us, it'll be hard to catch him. He seems to be good at rebounding as well, I'd have to watch some more. Their number seven is a small forward. His defense seems tough. That's all for now."

"I see." Kasamatsu said with a nod. "They really are going to be a pain in the ass."

The Shutoku players couldn't believe what they were hearing. As for Midorima, he couldn't believe that it was 'Kise' that was sitting beside him. During their time in middle school Kise was carefree and dumb. There was no way Kise could analyze another team's players like this.

Seeing the look on Midorima's face, Kasamatsu chuckled. "It's hard to believe, right Midorima?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"I saw the way you were looking at Kise. Honestly, it took everyone at Kaijou by surprise as well."

"I just didn't know that this dumb blond had a brain."

"That's mean Midorimacchi!" Kuroko shouted. "Back in Teikou, we had Momocchi, so I didn't need to do this."

Midorima said nothing more but narrowed his eyes at the blond. He knew Kise didn't have any brothers, worse a twin, so who was this boy sitting beside him? He really didn't want to believe that it was the Kise that he knew.

He was taken out of his thoughts when 'Kise' got up. "I'll be back Senpai." He said to Kasamatsu.

"Where're you going?"

"To Tetsucchi." He smiled. Kasamatsu nodded to the boy, since both 'Kuroko' and 'Kise' have told him that they were best friends, he deemed it normal for them to see each other like this.

_xxxx_

"Good work in the first half!" Riko said. "I made you these so we can make a comeback in the second!" she then raised a container in front of her. "They'll raise your energy!"

Kagami, Koganei and Hyuuga opened the container but what they stumbled upon made them cry.

"Slice them! We're always telling you to slice them!" Hyuuga cried.

"I washed them, so you can eat the skin." She defended. "And you'll be able to eat lots!"

Seeing the distress, Izuki approached Mitobe, "Do you have any?" he asked.

The boy nodded as he pulled out a container. When Izuki removed the lid, the lemons seemed to sparkle. Quickly, everyone except Kise gathered around and ate.

"Mitobe, I'm glad you're on our team." Hyuuga said with tears of joy. Meanwhile Riko was sulking in a corner. However, Kise took up Riko's container and then rummaged through his bag. When he felt something like a piece of board, he then pulled it out. A knife.

Kise himself hadn't realized when the knife had made its way into his bag, but found out when he was changing into his jersey. _Everything happens for a good reason._ He smiled. He then peeled the lemons and was starting to slice them.

Kagami realized that 'Kuroko' wasn't eating any, so he turned around to look for the boy. He then spotted him on the other side of the room, with his back turned to them.

"Kuroko," he called. Kise turned around with the knife.

"Yes Kagami-kun?"

Kagami was startled seeing the utensil. "What are you doing?"

"Peeling Coach's lemons. Why?"

"Oh, I was going to ask you if you didn't want any of these…"

"No, I'm good."

Seeing the blue-haired boy, Riko then said, "Kuroko-kun, you played the entire first half, so I'm taking you out a bit. You have to replenish your nutrients."

"Sure." Kise couldn't be any happier. When he was done with the lemons, he then took one out and chewed. "Anyone wants lemons?" No one answered, instead they all flocked the smaller boy. Just then, his phone began ringing. Seeing that it was Kuroko, he quickly flipped it open and answered.

"Hello."

" _I'm coming to your locker room. Where is it?"_ Kuroko asked.

"Don't worry, I'll meet you." Hearing that sentence, everyone stopped and looked at 'Kuroko'. He then flipped it closed, got up and walked to the door. Before exiting, he turned to Riko, "I'll be back in a second."

He left before she could say anything.

"What…?" Hyuuga said, still staring at the door. "Where did he run off to?"

"Maybe it's something important." Kagami answered. But then, the door opened revealing two boys.

'Kuroko' and 'Kise'.

"Kise-kun?!" Riko asked in shock. "What-what-what…" she trailed off, couldn't find the right words to say.

"Sorry, but this is important." Kuroko started, closing the door behind him. "It's just that I have information that may be of help to you. Wanna hear it?"

Seirin looked at each other in shock before Riko nodded, "Sure."

"To stop number nine from making shots, Hyuuga-senpai you have to switch marks with Mitobe-senpai. The secret in stopping him is to make him jump a second first so when he releases the ball Mitobe-senpai would be able to slam it back down. Number four is a point guard and his most dangerous shot is the double clutch, I don't know how to counter it yet, you'll have to figure that out. Number six is a centre with annoying speed so if he gets away from you that's it. He's also good at rebounding. Number seven is a small forward with tough defense and height. Since Kagami will be taking on Aomine, if the ball rebounds, trying to get it would be a lost cause." He paused to take a breather.

He continued, "I noticed something like a pattern. Whenever you score, number six is always the one to retrieve the ball, and then passes to number four. Nine is always by the three-point line, so four will pass to him if he's blocked as number seven will most likely block Kagami. But now that Aomine's arrived, he'll mostly have the ball to himself. Four will most likely pass the ball to him continuously, and what's worse, Aomine's speed is frightening so don't try to match it. Just focus on getting the ball away from him.

Their inside is strong due to Six and Seven, their outside as well due to Nine. It would be wise to sub in Tsuchida-senpai to guard the net with Hyuuga-senpai. Izuki-senpai, it would be wise to go for some steals and quick passes. This is the limit on how much I can help you. I don't know how their tactic is going to change." Kuroko finished, leaving everyone in the locker room appalled.

"Thanks." Was all Riko could utter after hearing all that.

"It's no problem." He smiled. "I have to get back before you guys reach on the court. Good luck!"

With that Kuroko left the locker room, Kise deciding to accompany him. In reality, he wanted to talk to Kuroko about something that's why he followed him.

"Tetsucchi, ever since I came out on that court, I've had a bad feeling."

Kuroko paused. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, it makes me sick. And then it got worse when Aominecchi arrived." He then looked up at Kuroko. "I think we're going to lose this match."

Seeing the look of sadness and worry on Kise's face, Kuroko couldn't help himself. He bent and embraced the smaller boy in a hug. As for Kise, he felt like he was on cloud nine. He returned the hug and buried his face in Kuroko's neck.

"I want to say that everything's going to be okay, but I can't." He said. He then released him from the hug. "Just do your best, Ryou-chan." He said turning his face away to hide the blush.

"Thank you, I will!" Kise seemed to have perked up somewhat. "By the way, thanks for giving Seirin that advice. If it were left up to me, I wouldn't be able to do that."

"Actually you've done it before. The way you observe people to know their weakness and strengths…it's the same principle."

"Ah,"

They were so deep in their conversation that they hadn't realized that they were about to walk into Aomine and Momoi.

"We're up against Tetsu-kun's team! In the second half you'd better ―"

"Shut up. I know. I feel bad about what I did." He continued. "I misread them a little. I should have shown up sooner."

Kise blanched when he heard that. If Aomine did, then they would have already lost the match. The two looked at each other and then Kise spoke. "You know, Tetsucchi, Aominecchi said a lot of nasty things the other day." He then began to tell Kuroko of all the things that Aomine said when they met at the street court.

Kuroko didn't say anything. He could hear the anger laced in the smaller boy's voice. "And his behavior pisses me off to no end."

"Then do what you have to Ryou-chan." Kuroko said, without realizing that he called Kise 'Ryou-chan' for the second time.

"Right, now let's go. I don't want to miss Coach's speech."

Luckily, due to her shouting at Aomine and the area being slightly dark, she hadn't realized that the two boys were standing there. It wasn't until Kuroko was giving Kise one last hug that she noticed them. And frankly, neither boy could care less if they saw them.

"Ki-chan and Tetsu-kun?" she said as she looked at the two. 'Kise' then released 'Kuroko' after which the smaller boy returned in the direction of his team's locker room.

"Huh?" Aomine looked in the direction that Momoi was but only saw 'Kise's' retreating back. He smirked. He then jogged up to the blond. "It's been a while, Kise."

"Ki-chan!" Momoi greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. And could you not call me that." Kuroko replied, turning around to face them. He really didn't want to see Aomine's face after what Kise told him.

"I heard about your loss against Tetsu in a practice match." Aomine said. "I knew you were weak, but seriously? How'd you managed that?" he then chuckled.

"It was my fault. And unlike you, I had to play against an uninjured Kagamicchi."

"Kagamicchi? Pfft! Don't make me laugh."

Kuroko stared blankly."I wasn't intending to." he added, "It's obvious that Kagamicchi's legs still haven't healed from playing Midorimacchi." He then paused. "Wait, I don't think you even you watched the match."

The look on Momoi's face was a dead giveaway. "I see you haven't changed one bit. I have to go." He then walked away from the two before either could say anything. When 'Kise' was almost out of sight Aomine spoke,

"Satsuki, who the hell was that?"

"That was Ki-chan." She replied.

"I don't believe it. He gave off a different vibe than the Kise I know."

"Well, you haven't seen each other in months, so of course he's going to seem different."

"Hnn," but Aomine couldn't shake the feeling.

_xxxx_

"Let the third quarter begin!"

The game restarted, but as Takao looked on, he noticed that 'Kuroko' was on the bench. "Are they going to be okay?"

"It can't be helped," Midorima answered. "But they couldn't afford to sub Kuroko out in the first quarter without Aomine. I don't believe they can endure this."

"You're right, Kasamatsu agreed. "Playing against Touou without Kuroko's passes and steals will be difficult."

On the court, Aomine received the ball and but swiftly, Kagami came to block him. He then bounced the ball and with swift movements, he broke pass Kagami as if he wasn't there.

_He didn't fake me out, but I still can't keep up!_ Was Kagami's thought. _He's unbelievably fast!_

As Aomine continued towards the net, Tsuchida and Mitobe were already there, ready to block him. But Aomine didn't let that faze him. When the three jumped, he went into a fadeaway.

_How can anyone make a quick stop at that speed and jump backwards?_ Izuki thought as he watched with shock. However, Kagami did not give up. He ran towards Aomine and jumped to block him from behind. But he was just a second too late.

_Damn it! I can't keep up! He's even faster than before!_

Wakamatsu and Sakurai were heading back, but Izuki saw this as a chance. Quickly, he grabbed the ball and remembering what 'Kuroko' taught him, spun until he gathered enough momentum and released the ball into Kagami's direction.

The ball landed firmly in his palms and without hesitation slammed the ball into the net. Aomine then looked at Izuki. _Hmm, Tetsu taught him how to do that?_ But he wasn't fazed by it. When they restarted, Aomine received the ball and once more faced off with Kagami.

The redhead could tell that there was something different about him. Aomine then ran off with the ball, Kagami beside him trying to stop him at all costs. But then Aomine bounced the ball behind Kagami and turned around and caught it back to make his way to the net.

Kagami had reacted quick enough to catch him back and block him, but Touou's ace was unstoppable. His movements are unreadable and unconventional and upon seeing them, Kagami realized that it was street ball. After trying to stop his movements and failed, he fell on his butt.

Seeing that Kagami couldn't stop him, Hyuuga joined Mitobe and Tsuchida at the net to try and stop Aomine. However, with a jump, Aomine ended up at the corner behind the net and threw the ball over the backboard.

It went in perfectly.

Everyone was shocked.

"What was that?!" Takao shouted. "How is that humanly possible?!"

"That's just it. Aomine isn't human." Miyaji replied. "Somehow, I'm glad that it isn't us down there."

Kuroko raked a hand through his gold hair. "I honestly don't want to go up against him."

"Me either." Kasamatsu responded. Once again the crowd roused up. They then looked to the court, to see Kagami and Aomine running towards Seirin's net. Kagami was between him and the net, but then Aomine did something unusual. He threw the ball. And surprisingly, it went into the net after bouncing off the backboard.

"What the hell?! What is up with your former teammate, Shin-chan?" Takao asked the shooter.

"It's simple. Over the years basketball forms have been polished to perfection, so it all comes down strategic battles between teams. But He's an unconventional player. There's no form to Aomine's dribbling or shooting. He is limitless, impossible to defend against."

"Shit," Kasamatsu said. "Players like him deserve to live on another planet."

"Damn right." Otsubo joined in.

Back on Seirin's bench, Kise watched Aomine with eyes blazing. He had completely blocked out every other player and focused on him only. The more he watched Aomine was the more he came to realize that he was truly amazing. He sighed. Not only was the feeling tormenting him, Kise just knew that at the rate at which the match was going, they aren't going to win. Remembering this morning, he continued to watch, trying to copy his movements.

Soon, Kagami had the ball and made his way to Touou's net. He was about to make a shot when suddenly the ball was knocked from his hands.

"Sorry. You're so slow I took the ball." Aomine said to him. He then ran off into Seirin's half of the court with Kagami chasing him.

"Get back here!" he shouted. In his eagerness, he jumped to block Aomine but ended up fouling him. Aomine shot the ball from behind his back, leaving everyone in shock.

"Basket counts! One free throw!" the referee announced.

Aomine turned to Seirin and with a smirk said, "This isn't your basketball is it? The only one who can beat is me. You can't fight me on your own." He then walked to Seirin's bench and stopped at Kise. "Come on out, Tetsu. Let's settle this."

Kise stared at him. He didn't know what to say, and even if he did, it would be wise to not tarnish Kuroko's reputation.

_We're fifteen points behind. We have to prepare ourselves._ Riko thought. She then turned to Kise, "Kuroko-kun,"

"I've had plenty of time to rest. I'm going."

"Show me the strength of the new light and shadow." Aomine said as Kise got up.

"Seirin member change!"

Tsuchida gave a high-five to 'Kuroko' and he walked out onto the court. His eyes were downcast, so the rest of the team wondered what happened to the blue-haired boy. He then made his way over to Kagami.

"Sorry. It's even harder by myself than I imagined." Kagami said.

"Aomine-kun is a monster, have you forgotten?" Kise replied. "Let's do this together."

"Of course."

Imayoshi dribbled the ball down court with Izuki chasing him, but then he passed to Wakamatsu who made a shot. Without hitch, Kise grabbed the ball and used the same pass that he used in the Shutoku match against Midorima.

Kagami caught it and dribbled down the court. Aomine chased him down, catching him up. But before he could steal the ball, Kagami passed the ball to Hyuuga who was at his usual spot.

"What's wrong Kagami?" Hyuuga asked as he received the ball. "That was a pretty nice pass."

"Please make this shot, Captain!" Furihata shouted, clasping his hands seeming as though he was praying.

Hyuuga made a perfect three and then turned in the direction of the three first years. While fixing his glasses on his face he said, "When I'm shooting get ready to celebrate!"

"He's already in clutch time!" they chorused.

Susa got the ball and made a pass to Imayoshi but Kise came and intercepted it. He then passed it to Izuki who made a shot. The two then made a high-five as they returned to their half of the court.

"You're still the same Tetsu." Aomine said when 'Kuroko' reached him. "You really haven't changed since middle school. Not at all." He then turned to face him. "I'm disappointed. You still think you can beat me?"

Kise didn't answer. Instead, he made a face which startled Aomine before walking off.

Izuki dribbled the ball when he saw Kagami run on ahead of him and 'Kuroko' near him. _Let's take back the game!_ Was his optimistic thought. He then passed the ball to Kise who made an Ignite pass to Kagami. However, before it could reach, Aomine stopped it.

"Who do you think has caught more of your passes?" he said.

"Damn it!" Kagami cursed. Izuki then went to block Aomine but he threw the ball over Izuki's shoulder, startling the point guard. He caught it back quickly and blew past Hyuuga and Mitobe as though they weren't there. Kagami and Kise ran towards him to block his shot but Aomine managed to dunk either way, sending the two crashing to the ground.

Up in the audience, Kuroko couldn't watch. He had turned his face away when he saw Aomine blew pass Hyuuga.

Riko was stunned as well. _He blew past five guys…Impossible!_

"How sad." Aomine started. "You haven't changed at all since middle school. You haven't improved. Akashi was right. Your basketball will never win."

Kise clutched his chest in agony. _He's looking at Tetsucchi and he's saying those things? How heartless is he?!_

It was a painful feeling and he wasn't even the real Kuroko. He hung his head to contain his emotion but he couldn't. Tears and both sadness and rage flowed out his eyes in torrents, he hadn't even realized when Kagami had gotten up and was trying to help him on his feet.

"Kuroko?" he asked seeing the boy's face.

He then looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Kagami-kun." He then looked in the crowd. _I'm sorry Tetsucchi but I have to do this._

In was now one minute into the fourth quarter and Kise had made up his mind. When he had regrouped with the others he signaled to Riko that he wanted a time-out.

"Seirin time-out!"

When they all had gathered at the bench, Kise wasted no time. "Hyuuga-senpai, always be ready to make a three. Mitobe-senpai keep doing what you're doing." He then turned to Izuki, "Let's take this up a notch, Senpai. Steals, fast passes, everything."

They nodded.

"Kagami-kun, just this once, back me up."

"Huh?" this was the unison question for everyone.

"I'll take on that bastard."

"What? Kuroko-kun, your passes won't work. Do you have a plan?"

"Yes. Our offense will make up of Hyuuga-senpai, Kagami-kun and me. But also, I'll be coordinating with Izuki-senpai in getting the balls around." He then turned to Kagami. "We have no time to be solely dunking. We need threes."

"Time out over!"

"Just trust me." Kise said to them. They then made their way onto the court but as Kise walked he kept talking to himself.

"Huh? What's this, Tetsu?" Aomine said with a prideful chuckle when he saw Kise came up to him. "You think you can take me on?"

Kise remained silent. However, in his head, he kept reciting the moves he saw Aomine use previously, even the ones from middle school.

Izuki then passed the ball to him but instead of redirecting it like he used to, he caught it. He then dribbled the ball, using the between the legs dribble. But then, he paused. He then continued dribbling. He then made a move to left, Aomine moved as well. He moved to the right, Aomine moved as well.

When Kagami saw this, he quickly ran up to the two and this gave Kise a chance to break free from Aomine. He ran down court but then he saw Imayoshi tightly guarding Izuki and Susa was on Hyuuga, Wakamatsu was heading to him. Kise didn't let that faze him. He was actually glad that he had to teach Kuroko basketball moves, due to that; he was able to polish his moves to perfection.

It happened so fast.

When Wakamatsu was a step away from him, he then bounced the ball through the centre's legs and dashed past him just in time to catch it back and redirected it to Hyuuga who once more made another three.

Everyone was speechless. However, Seirin couldn't allow that to faze them for long as Touou was already restarting, but one thing was on Kise's mind. _I need to be faster…Aominecchi is faster._

Wakamatsu threw the ball to Imayoshi, who after dribbling for a couple seconds, passed it back to Aomine. He then dashed down the court with Kagami behind him. He then stopped below the free throw circle and made a shot.

It went in.

_He shot while rolling! That's crazy!_ Kagami thought as he looked at the hoop. Aomine then returned but as soon as Kagami moved off, he felt the pain in his legs. Riko took notice of this.

_Kagami-kun? His legs? Why? They should be mostly healed, and I taped them up well. They should get so bad this quickly._ When Kagami started walking again, she noticed that he was limping. _No this is…_

"Seirin member change!"

"Kagami-kun!" she called out to him. Tsuchida was beside her stretching.

"Why again?" he asked. "There's no problem with the taping!"

"Just get on the bench." Tsuchida said.

"I'm fine! Besides, the game is still going. I can't leave now."

"Just get on the bench!" Riko barked at him. _I can't let him play anymore in this game._

"Don't worry Kagami-kun. We'll do our best, just cheer us on." Kise said. He then glanced at the clock. He knew he was getting there with copying Aomine, but it was a race against time. Kuroko's body isn't as strong as his original, and Kise had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to last the entire quarter. And now with Kagami gone, he'd _have_ to mark Aomine at all times.

"Fine." Kagami mumbled.

Kise then went to Hyuuga and called Izuki along. "Now that Kagami-kun's gone, I'd have to solely take on Aomine-kun. Hyuuga-senpai, just focus on getting in your threes, Izuki-senpai and I will circulate the ball and go for some steals. Mitobe-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai, keep doing what you've been doing."

They nodded.

The game resumed, Izuki had the ball dribbling with Imayoshi on him. He then passed the ball to Hyuuga who then shot the ball. It landed on the edge of rim and spun around before going in.

Wakamatsu retrieved the ball, and threw it to Susa. He then dashed off and was about to make a layup when Kise came in and knocked it from his hands. He then sprinted down the court, but no one saw the look he had on his face due to his head being held down.

Susa then followed behind him and Kise purposefully allowed him to catch him up. When he was in front of him, he then began to dribble at such a high speed that everyone wondered what was going on. Within the blink of eye, Susa was on the floor.

Seeing what had happened, Wakamatsu then ran up to him in an attempt to stop Kise. The moment Wakamatsu came close to Kise, he once more used the high speed dribble. He then made an attempt to pass Wakamatsu causing him to shift his weight.

Everyone saw Wakamatsu on the floor and 'Kuroko' walk past him with the ball. He then dashed to the net, Sakurai and Imayoshi left off Izuki and Hyuuga in an attempt to block Kise.

They received the same treatment.

Ankle break.

By the time Kise reached the free throw circle, he passed the ball to Hyuuga who was at his usual spot, and ignoring what he just saw, he landed a perfect three.

Riko had a hard time choosing which emotion to feel ― surprise or happiness.

"What…?" Riko was at a loss for words. "Is that Kuroko-kun?"

"No way," Koganei said. Kagami was speechless.

Seeing this, Aomine stared at 'Kuroko' with shock. The Kuroko he knew couldn't dribble to save his life but now, the way he moved on the court a while ago seemed like he's been doing that for years. He let out a low chuckle. _Then let's see what you can do, Tetsu._

The game resumed, Imayoshi passed the ball to Aomine. Kise had run up to block him; Izuki was not too far behind him. Mitobe was at the centre line, Hyuuga was still positioned at the three-point line in Touou's half.

He smirked. "I didn't know that you could ankle break. Maybe you can entertain me."

Kise eyebrow twitched. Aomine said nothing more, and once he received the ball, he blew past Kise. Not that Kise even moved. When he was by the free throw circle, Kise then looked up and saw that the other Touou players were already in their half. Kise then moved off, heading towards the net. He was going to attempt another copy.

He saw Aomine jump for a dunk, Tsuchida and Mitobe trying to block him but failed. Without a care in the world, Aomine returned to his half but when he reached Kise, he said, "You're just reaching here? You're slow Tetsu, I guess I was wrong about you."

Unfortunately, he couldn't see Kise's face. "Aomine-kun…" he started, but he held his tongue. What he was about to say would probably destroy Kuroko and Aomine's friendship (or what's left of it). He then ignored him and made his way to Izuki who had the ball. He then chest passed the ball to Kise who caught it.

"Don't go," he said aloud. He then turned around and bounced the ball loudly three times. On the fourth, they saw him bend his knees and then straightened, as posture used for shooting threes. He then jumped.

"Impossible!" Midorima said as he rose to his feet. The others watched with shocked faces as well; the ball had a high and graceful arc and then suddenly, it crashed down, going smoothly through the hoop.

"That's Shin-chan's three!" Takao shouted. "Kuroko could do that?! _Shit!"_

Everyone on the court looked at 'Kuroko' with awe. As for Kise, he remained at his position, but when the ball landed on the floor, he closed one of his eyes and stretched out his hands with both his index and middle fingers pointing like guns.

"Bang!" He smirked, "Nanodayo."

Everyone on the court gaped in shock at the light-blue haired teen. Even Aomine, couldn't believe that "Tetsu" just shot the ball like Midorima. "Tetsu" _can't_ shoot to save his life. His eyes widened at the sight, thinking that he saw Midorima in "Tetsu"

Getting out of his stupor, Izuki then asked, "Kuroko, what was that?"

"After the match, I'll explain everything. But right now, we need to get as much threes as we can." Looking at their points and the time, he knew that they were going to lose. But he decided that since that would be case, he didn't want them to lose disgracefully.

"Aomine!" Imayoshi shouted at the ace. Aomine caught the ball that was thrown to him, and headed down to Seirin's half. Kise went up to block him, even though he knew that he couldn't stop him. Aomine moved to the left, and then to the right…so did Kise. Since Kise wasn't looking at his face, instead he was looking at his feet.

Kise didn't realize how good of a thing that was.

Aomine bounced the ball through his legs and Kise felt like he saw it in slow motion. Swiftly, he turned around and snatched the all before Aomine could and ran into Touou's half.

The audience went into an uproar.

"Izuki-senpai!" he called out. As if being to read his mind, Izuki went on further ahead but then Aomine came in between Izuki and Kise.

Kise continued to bounce the ball but then he took two huge steps back and then ran towards Aomine once again. With quick movements, he bounced the ball between Aomine's legs and since Izuki was behind, the point guard snatched the ball quickly, and dribbled further down court.

Aomine and Touou were once more shocked.

Kise dashed off with Aomine following. However, in a couple of seconds, he caught him up due to Kise wanting to be able to hold out until the end.

Seeing that Hyuuga was guarded, Izuki knew that passing to him would be a bad idea.

He then attempted a shot.

However, it was blocked by Wakamatsu and picked up by Imayoshi. Kise then looked to Tsuchida and moved his head in Aomine's direction. Understanding the gesture, Tsuchida ran over to him and set up a screen to help Kise escape. Speeding up, Kise ran to Imayoshi and passed him. This caught him by surprise as he thought that 'Kuroko' would have tried to steal the ball from him. But the moment he bounced pass it to Aomine, Kise knocked it out of his hands.

Blowing past Tsuchida, Aomine was in front of Kise. Heading to the net, Kise jumped to make a shot, Aomine jumped to block it. However, Kise didn't shoot as yet.

Aomine's eyes widen with shock.

"Kuroko" was doing a fadeaway.

The ball landed perfectly into net, but it seemed that all the players on the court were frozen. Up in the audience, the Shutoku regulars along with Kasamatsu were shocked. Kuroko, however, was not.

"Kuroko could do something like that? He could play like that?!" Kasamatsu shouted, not taking his eyes off the court. "First he shot like Midorima and now he's playing like this? I don't believe it."

"Yes, he could." Kuroko answered. "Actually, Senpai, there's something that you and the Kaijou regulars need to know."

"And what's that?"

"We can't talk here. After the match." Seeing that Kise was playing like himself, he knew that they'd have to tell both their teams after this. He sighed, fretting the reactions of each individual. He then looked at Midorima. The green haired shooter looked composed, but he knew that underneath that mask, Midorima was as shocked as everyone else.

Aomine once more was facing off with 'Kuroko'. Neither was doing anything, but 'Kuroko's' head was held down. His blue hair hid his face; he slumped his shoulders and hunched his back. _I am Kise Ryouta. I can copy any move…play like anyone. I can do this._ He chanted over and over. _Aominecchi really is amazing. But, if I'm admiring I can't surpass. I'll give up on looking up to him._ He then made a face. A face which Aomine never knew that 'Kuroko' would make.

"You said 'the only one who can beat me is me'." Kise started, "Then what if that 'me' is who you're playing against?"

"What?"

Kise didn't answer. He drove past Aomine with a blistering speed, but the ace was not far behind. Within a couple seconds, Aomine was beside him but the moment he came in front of him, Kise did a right to left crossover. With his speed, Aomine was able to catch him but by then Kise had already passed the ball back to the right. He then swiftly, shifted his weight onto his right foot, grabbed the ball and dashed off. He then passed the ball to Izuki who quickly redirected it to Hyuuga. The captain once more landed a three.

Aomine grinned. Even though he was a bit peeved that 'Kuroko' got pass him, he felt like he could play with a little more strength.

As for Kise, he knew that the worse is yet to come.

But…he was ready for it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	25. Seirin vs. Touou Pt. III

Chapter 25

....

_Kise knew that the worse is yet to come._

_But…he was ready for it._

_..._

Wakamatsu had the ball dribbling but he was facing off with Mitobe. But in split moment, Izuki knocked the ball from his hands and passed it to Kise who dashed off from Aomine. He ran with the ball down court and saw Hyuuga in his vision. But Aomine caught him and since he realized that Seirin was using Hyuuga to make shots, he kept on Kise's left so that he would block the path to Hyuuga.

Kise then spun around and headed in the opposite direction, Aomine still didn't leave him alone. It was then that he realized, he had to go all out. When Aomine came upon him again, Kise used the hesitation dribble to stall him for a couple seconds and then he picked up after the second pause, he then took a step left and then made his second step right.

Aomine wondered what was going on. _Tetsu?_

Kise then dashed down the court towards Touou's net however, when he was at the centre, he felt a sudden chill down his spine. _He's coming_ …At that thought, Kise felt the weight of the ball gone from his hands. He looked around and saw Aomine with the ball, heading towards Seirin's net. Kise followed. _Shit!_ He cursed.

Kise was able to catch him up but Aomine didn't care. When they were close to the net, the ace shot the ball. Not wanting to give up Kise jumped to block the shot, but Kuroko's body was too short for him to stop it. The ball went into the net smoothly, Aomine turned and walked away into Touou's half.

Kise smirked.

He went to retrieve the ball, and when Aomine was by the centre line, Kise went into shooting form.

"No way!" Riko said. "I thought the first time was just a fluke but he's attempting it again?!"

Kise then shot the ball, and just like before, its arc was graceful and high. No one can stop it. With a ' _swoosh'_ , it went through the hoop, giving Seirin another three points.

"Kuroko?" Kagami said. "I can't believe it. He's shooting like Midorima and playing almost like Aomine."

"Maybe his split personality is a better player." Koganei said, half joking.

"I don't care whatever it is, I'm just glad that because of him, we have a fighting chance." Riko said. "But the problem is I'm worried about his body."

"Huh?"

"As you all know, Kuroko-kun isn't that strong. Yes, he has come a long way than when he just joined, but to be able to do all that…" she trailed when she saw Aomine going one-on-one with 'Kuroko'.

Kise dribbled the ball with a frightening speed, but he wasn't trying to use ankle break on Aomine. He then continuously moved back and forth, stalling until Izuki was in the right place. When the point guard nodded to him, he then broke past Aomine at such a frightening speed that the ace couldn't help but be shocked. He chased him down however, and quickly blocked him.

"I'm not letting you go that easily, Tetsu." Aomine said. "To think you had Kise's ability as well."

"It wouldn't be fun if you did Aominecchi." Kise answered. _Shit!_ He realized his slip of the tongue and this startled Aomine. Using this as an opportunity, he dribbled past him and did a low bounce pass to Izuki.

It was one of the passes he and Kuroko thought up. Instead of doing a regular bounce pass that would bounce high enough for anyone to catch, he bounced it with little strength so that when it came off the ground, the receiver has to bend lower than usual to pick it up.

But, because of his training, Izuki used his left hand to redirect the ball to Hyuuga, giving it some height as well so that he could catch it. Izuki himself was shocked. _I didn't even realize what I was doing! My body reacted on its own!_

Hyuuga couldn't help but smile. He turned to his right to receive the ball and when he did, immediately spun on his right leg, jumped and shot the ball.

As always, Hyuuga's shots don't miss.

Susa was left in awe. According to Momoi's data, Hyuuga was a shooter that always made sure he was comfortable before shooting. But what he saw a while ago was completely different. As a matter of fact, he noticed that the captain was doing it a lot more. As soon as he got the ball, he shoots it, regardless of how he's positioned.

 _How frightening!_ He thought. _A shooter like that can't be stopped once he has the ball!_

Seirin is coming back, and at an alarming speed at that. It was now four minutes into the fourth quarter and Seirin was at 76, Touou at 85.

There was hope.

Aomine sprint down the court with the ball, Kise chasing him. "You're lagging behind Tetsu!" he said. They then reached the net but Kise decided to block his path and went in between the net and Aomine. But Aomine didn't care.

"Apparently, you've forgotten who your former light is." He smirked. He then threw the ball towards the net but Kise timed it just right. Since his new body was short, he has to jump the same moment the ball is released.

It landed squarely in his palm and he dashed down the court without a second glance at Aomine. When he reached the centre line Aomine was right behind him, and thankfully, Izuki decided to act. The moment Aomine knocked the ball from Kise's hand from behind, it bounced forward and Izuki was right there to catch it.

He then dribbled for a couple seconds before Imayoshi came to block him. Kise continued running, but Aomine wouldn't leave him. When everything was done, they were in all court man-to-man. Everyone was heavily guarded, and the only hope Seirin has of making a shot was Hyuuga. But the ball couldn't reach him. The clock was ticking away, and Kise couldn't take it anymore. He then ran in the opposite direction, seeming as though he was going back into his half but then changed his course into Izuki's direction. While the point guard was dribbling, Kise stole the ball from him, and thundered towards the net. He didn't want to risk passing the ball to Hyuuga so he decided to make the shot himself.

He grinned. He made it into the paint area, but Aomine was close. In the blink of an eye, Aomine was in front of him.

Kise then decided to make a gamble. _I hadn't practiced this a lot, but here goes nothing!_

He stopped dribbling and turned his back to Aomine and the basket and then jumps into the air, doing a tornado dunk.

Aomine jumped to block the shot, but with the strength that Kise had put into that dunk, sent him crashing to the floor.

After that the gymnasium went into silence.

Midorima lost all his composure and his jaws hung. Otsubo, Miyaji, Kimura and Takao's eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets.

Kasamatsu rose to his feet.

Kuroko had on a smile.

"Who is that number eleven?!"

"Seirin always had that player!?"

"He's going head to head with Aomine Daiki!"

Everyone on the Seirin bench stood in awe.

Momoi nor Harasawa could believe their eyes.

Aomine was shocked beyond words. Kise looked down on him with blazing eyes. "You better not think that the only one who can beat you is yourself. A player stronger than you is sitting on _my_ bench. You're lucky he's injured."

He then turned around to head back into Seirin's half. Touou's players were shocked beyond their wits. When he was passing Imayoshi, He smirked. "You thought that you were better than us, didn't you? If it weren't for your manager, I'm pretty sure that you would've had a harder time before Aomine-kun came." With that he jogged down the court to regroup.

When Aomine got up, he looked at 'Kuroko' with shock. But for some reason, he was seeing Kise. In his daze, he hadn't even realized when Wakamatsu had retrieved the ball and the other players had gone on ahead.

 _Kuroko is a beast! If he had played like this since the beginning, we would have been screwed!_ Imayoshi thought as he dribbled the ball. Aomine had then run up to him and he gave him the ball before dashing down to Seirin's court. Seeing the look on his face, the players knew that a monster was coming. Subconsciously, Hyuuga looked to 'Kuroko' just as the boy wiped a sweat from his face. He was blowing quite hard, and Hyuuga prayed that he wasn't overexerting himself…too much.

When Aomine finally entered their court, both Tsuchida and Mitobe went to block him. Seeing this, Kise had an idea. Hiding behind them, he awaited Aomine to pass.

Which he did.

The moment he did so, Kise knew the ball would be in his right hand, and that maybe he would bring it over into his left (if he doesn't do something crazier).

Aomine passed the two with ease, and when he switched the ball in his left, Kise stole it and dashed down court. _Thank God for Tetsucchi's lack of presence!_ He thought happily. And what was even better, since he hadn't been using misdirection for a while now, hiding his presence was easy.

With a grunt, Aomine turned around quickly to catch back Kise, but when the former blond sensed the oncoming danger, he used an ignite pass to get the ball to Hyuuga. But of course, he watered it down so that the captain could catch it.

As it landed firmly in his palms, he grinned and screamed, "Die!" It was so loud that it seemed to echo throughout the gym.

Kise then turned to Aomine. "Why do you look so surprised?" he asked with a smirk. "Have you forgotten who your shadow was? Stealing and passing are my bread and butter."

"Kise?" it escaped his mouth so quickly that he hadn't realized that he said it…until after.

Kise eyes widen with shock. But then, he put on Kuroko's usual deadpan expression. "Aomine-kun, do I look like blond to you? Or does Seirin's uniform resemble Kaijou's? Do you have a fever?"

"It's the hair, sorry." He said quickly. But he couldn't help but think that it was Kise that was standing before him. And strangely enough, when he had spoken to 'Kise' before the second half began; he felt that it was someone else. _What's going on? Why can't I shake the feeling that Kise is before me?_

Kise had totally forgotten that he had changed Kuroko's hairstyle since last Saturday. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to head back into Seirin's half.

The game resumed, but this time, it was far more intense than the previous quarters. Aomine's speed had increased, so had Kise's and what everyone noticed was that the two players seemed to be out for each other's head.

When Aomine did a formless shot, next time around 'Kuroko' did the same exact thing once he had the ball. As a matter of fact, anything Aomine did, 'Kuroko' would repeat it. This went on for a couple more minutes with the two players going back and forth, the other members of their teams looked like they were doing sprint exercises.

It was then that the clock reached 03:30, that everyone started to see a change in Seirin. 'Kuroko' and Izuki were talking to each other when they had regrouped.

"We have to get as much balls to Hyuuga-senpai as possible." Kise panted.

"Let's blitz it." Izuki grinned.

"Yeah, they'll Nazi see it coming." Kise punned.

"Nice Kuroko!" Izuki said as he patted the boy on his back. Hyuuga, who was in Touou's half saw the exchange and had a feeling of what happened. Since he couldn't take out his rage on Izuki at the moment, the ball and the hoop will have to suffice.

Kise still faced Aomine one-on-one, but Izuki was always nearby. And when that happens, the ball has a tendency to disappear or move at such frightening speed. And when it was found once again, it was in Hyuuga's hands and he was shooting a three.

The audience could not believe their eyes.

"Kuroko is a monster!" Takao shouted. "Why did we think that the Generation of Miracles consisted of five? Kuroko is obviously one!"

"I didn't know that Kuroko had this side to him. I knew he was a monster at passing but this is something completely different!" Kasamatsu said.

"If he had played like that against us…" Miyaji started, "and what's worse, Kagami went into a state which we couldn't stop him. Imagine two of them like that playing at the same time."

"Don't forget their point guard." Midorima said. "All three would be a savage combination."

Kuroko grinned. _When Ryou-kun gets back his body, he's going to be a force to reckon with._ Kasamatsu saw it and chuckled.

Kuroko then looked at scoreboard. Since they were watching the match, they weren't paying attention to the score.

"Shit!" he said so suddenly that it startled everyone.

"What is it?" Midorima asked.

"We've been so caught up in the match that we've ignored the score!" All eyes then looked at the score. They widened.

Seirin – 90

Touou – 95.

"I don't believe it!" Takao shouted. "This game is as good as anyone's!"

Then the crowd roused up.

Imayoshi had the ball and then he passed the ball to Sakurai. He got the ball and then jumped but remembering what 'Kise' had told them in the locker room, Mitobe jumped after. When he released the ball, it landed squarely in the centre's palm and he slammed it back down the floor.

"Nice Mitobe!" Izuki said as he snatched the ball.

 _I don't believe it! Sakurai's shot was stopped?_ Wakamatsu thought. _What's going on?_ However, Aomine guarded Kise tightly, so when he looked to Izuki, he shook his head, signaling that he shouldn't pass to him. Tsuchida was beside him, Mitobe was behind. Touou had caught up with them surprisingly fast so Izuki passed to Tsuchida so that he could pass the ball to Hyuuga.

But the moment he'd done so, the ball was stolen and Imayoshi threw it to Aomine. He dashed off so quickly that Kise hadn't a chance to react. When he reached into Seirin's half, Kise managed to get in front to try and slow him down so that Izuki could catch up to them.

However, Aomine threw the ball into the net. He didn't jump or anything. Just a casual throw, as if throwing a Frisbee or something.

Aomine smirked. "You've gotten good Tetsu. When did you learn those skills?"

"Two weeks before Inter-High." He answered.

"Heeh?"

Kise dashed off towards the ball, but since he's seen him shoot like Midorima, he wasn't going to leave anything to chance. Plus, looking at the clock, he saw that it was 2:30 and looking at the score, it's possible that if he makes this shot, they would be three threes behind.

When Kise saw Aomine still coming after him, he got the wildest idea. He knew that if he were to try and break pass him, he'll catch him up and block him from passing to Izuki. So he decided that he'll pass to the point guard from there…by doing Midorima's three.

He grabbed the ball and went into shooting form quickly, and looked at Izuki. He then mouthed 'catch' to the point guard after which Izuki had the most incredulous look on his face. Aomine was close to him, so he straightened. Aomine jumped.

The tips of his finger missed the ball by a centimetre, but in the audience, Midorima looked with surprise.

"What's this?" he said out loud.

"What, Midorimacchi?" Kuroko asked.

"That ball's trajectory, it's going to land far from the net. It's too short, extremely short."

"What?!" was the unison question from the group.

However, they saw the ball crash downwards and landed right in front of Izuki and without hesitation; he sent the ball rocketing to Hyuuga who landed another three.

The crowd erupted.

"What's with that shooter?!"

"He lands his threes despite being so guarded!"

"He's as unstoppable as Midorima Shintarou!"

Hearing the last comment made Midorima outwardly twitch but he knew that what the captain was actually doing, really was amazing. Minus Kagami, his shots were really unstoppable but for a normal basketball player like Hyuuga to shoot like, he really became unstoppable.

But no one noticed the pained expression on Kise's face. He was panting too much, and the moment he stepped off, he felt a slight pain run through his body. _This isn't good._ But then he looked at the clock… _I can hold out. Just a little bit longer._

When the game resumed, Riko noticed the change in 'Kuroko'. Whenever Aomine got the ball, she saw that instead of chasing him down like before, 'Kuroko' jogged behind him.

Whenever 'Kuroko' got the ball and came up against Aomine, the most he does is break pass him and then pass the ball to Izuki.

 _He finally reached his limit._ She thought. She then looked to Koganei and then back to the scoreboard.

Seirin – 102

Touou – 104

 _We're behind by one basket. Should I sub him out?_ But when she saw the look of her boys' faces, bringing in a substitution would disrupt the flow of the game, their momentum. She bit her nails in contemplation.

"They're at it again!" she heard Koganei say. She then looked at the court and saw 'Kuroko' with Aomine. They were the furthest away from the net, being above the free throw circle. Izuki had the ball but was blocked by Imayoshi at the circle, while Hyuuga was with Susa at his usual spot. Mitobe had Sakurai at the other side at the three point-line. Tsuchida was by the net with Wakamatsu.

Kise kept breathing harder and harder and what was worst; he hadn't even started running yet. He was just standing with Aomine blocking him. It got even worse. His vision started to darken, seeming like a tunnel. _Shit,_ he thought. _At least hang on for just one more minute!_ However, no matter how much he chanted, it would not happen. His knees buckled and his arms dropped loosely to his side.

Kise knew he was going to fall.

The clock winded down, one minute left until the game was over. Izuki wanted to pass to Hyuuga but with Imayoshi blocking his path, and Susa tightly guarding Hyuuga, there's no way the captain could break from his marker that easily. He then glanced at 'Kuroko' and noticed something…almost in slow motion.

"Kuroko!" He screamed. It caught the attention of everyone. Hyuuga peered around Susa to see what made Izuki scream like that. He then saw the point guard shove the ball into Imayoshi's chest and dashed off towards 'Kuroko' and Aomine. Imayoshi looked at the ball in his arms and then back to Izuki who ran off.

_Thud._

It was quite loud.

'Kuroko' lay on the court, motionless in front of Aomine. Kagami sprang to his feet and dashed towards his partner, Riko and the other members of Seirin followed as well. Mitobe, Hyuuga and Tsuchida almost mowed down their markers to get to the boy.

When Kagami reached, he saw Izuki holding the boy, Aomine hadn't moved. He was too shocked to do so. In his rage and worry, Kagami grabbed Aomine's shoulder and flung him aside as if he were nothing and bend down to Kise's side.

"Referee time-out!" the referee announced said as he made his way to where the Seirin players were gathering.

"Kuroko-kun! Kuroko-kun!" Riko called.

"Oi, Kuroko!" Kagami called out.

His eyes slightly cracked open but his breathing was erratic. His arms and legs felt like lead and Kise honestly felt like he was going to die.

In the audience, Kuroko let out an ear-shattering scream when he saw Kise drop to the floor. Almost crushing Midorima's toes and wringing other people's necks, Kuroko made a mad dash towards the court. By the time he reached in the tunnel, security stopped him but out of his panic, he punched them in the face, stomach and one got a kick between the legs. He thundered towards the court, where everyone assembled.

Pushing through the crowd, he held Kise's hand. "Tetsucchi! Tetsucchi!" he called. He then leaned down further towards his ears and whispered, "Ryou-kun, I'm here. Please open your eyes. Don't die on me."

Hearing the one person he wanted, he managed to open his eyes once more. Since Kuroko's uniform was close to his hands, he held onto it like his life depended on it.

Soon the medical team arrived and the crowd dispersed, giving them room to put Kise on the stretcher. However, the boy didn't let go of Kuroko. Ignoring that, they lifted up the stretcher with the boy.

"Who are you to him?" one asked.

"I'm his big brother. We live together." Kuroko lied smoothly. He then turned to Kagami. "Can he come as well? He's our cousin."

The medics nodded. They then went away, Kagami following, not in the least perturbed about the swift lie "Kise" just told.

_xxxx_

When the game ended, Seirin's team dashed off the court and into their locker room. Without even changing out of their sweaty jerseys, they took up their belongings along with Kagami's and Kise's, and headed towards the medical station. However, they ran into Kasamatsu and the Shutoku regulars who made them change course. Opening his phone, Kasamatsu showed Riko the text 'Kise' sent him.

_Subject: Tetsucchi._

_He's been carried off to the hospital. Tell Seirin and meet me there._

Riko covered her mouth in shock but Hyuuga comforted her as quickly as possible. They then made their way to the hospital, which luckily wasn't too far from where they were. They looked odd, a bunch of teenagers, five in sweaty jerseys, five in what looked like P.E uniforms, and seven in normal school uniforms.

When they entered the through the gates of the general hospital, they saw Kagami.

"Kagami-kun!" Riko called out. But there was no need for that, as no one could miss the bunch of students storming in. "How is he?" she asked.

"The doctor said he'll be fine. He just pushed his body far beyond its limit." Kagami said. "Honestly, when I saw him struggling to breathe, I thought my heart failed."

"We all thought so," Hyuuga replied.

"You wouldn't believe what Kise did though." Takao said. "He broke Shin-chan's toes and a couple people's necks to get down there."

"Oh shit." the group said in surprise. 

"He'll be trouble if they plan to sue." Koganei joked to ease the mood. 

Luckily for them, it was evening visiting hours, so they were allowed to see the boy. But they changed out of their jerseys first. Midorima had gone in with the others from Shutoku; Kuroko came out and spoke with Kasamatsu.

After couple minutes, Seirin's team was fully changed and the Shutoku players had already left.

"Kuroko!" they all bombarded him but seeing the state he was in, they couldn't hug him too much. They'd probably kill him.

"So," he started, "did we lose in style or did we create another upset by beating a team with a miracle in it?" he asked.

"Ah," Hyuuga started looking a bit sad. "We lost in style."

"I see." He said. "But I knew that we were going to lose. Aomine-kun is a monster, I'm not strong enough and Kagami-kun's injured."

"But you played extremely well! I had to wonder who was playing!" Koganei shouted.

"About that…" he trailed off.

"He's not Kuroko Tetsuya." Kuroko joined in.

"Eeehhh?!" they said.

"Shh, this is a hospital." Kise said, putting a finger on his lips.

"What do you mean, Kise-kun?" Riko asked.

"A minute," Kuroko replied. He then turned to Kasamatsu. "Could you call someone from the regulars and have them listen. But, tell them to get away from the coach and the others. Let's keep it between just the regulars."

The captain nodded. He took out his phone and called Moriyama, and explained to the shooting guard what he must do. When he confirmed that he had everyone (including Nakamura) away from the gym, Kuroko spoke.

"I'm Kuroko, but somehow, I'm stuck in Ryou-kun's body. The same is true for Ryou-kun."

There was silence.

"Whaaattt?!" they screeched. Even the voices of the Kaijou team could be heard through the phone.

"You should know that I have no sense of humor." He continued. "I am not joking. We've been like this since two weeks before Inter-High."

"What!?" came the next roar.

"This…this…" Kasamatsu stuttered.

"Senpai, when we first met, I told you my hobby karaoke didn't I? But you didn't care about that." Kise said.

"Coach, for us to join the team we had to say our names and class on top of the school roof, and our goals. If we didn't complete our goals, we have to confess our love naked." He then turned to Kagami, "Kagami-kun, we played one-on-one and after you told me to ―"

"Yes!" Kagami interjected, his voice entering a falsetto. He didn't want the coach to know that he told Kuroko to quit basketball. "He's Kuroko! He definitely is!"

However, Kise's face had blanched. _If we fail, we would have to confess to our love naked? What?!_

Kasamatsu sighed. He then heard Nakamura's voice from the other end of the phone.

"I knew it was too good to be true! Kise being a strategist is just too unbelievable!"

"To think it was Seirin's Kuroko inhibiting his body." Moriyama said. But then they heard him gasp. "Kuroko-kun, when you get back your body, you can always transfer to Kaijou!"

"Hey! Kuroko belongs to us!" Riko grabbed the phone and screamed. "By the way, you have Kise-kun!"

"I rather switch a player for a strategist." Kobori answered. "Brains over brawn."

"Senpai! How can you be so mean?!" Kise whined.

"Wait, what?" Hyuuga asked. "You guys would rather Kuroko than Kise?"

"Truth is Kuroko has given us formations to work with, analyzes teams and their players before we face them and such. What he has done for us…" Kasamatsu trailed off.

Riko looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel. "Kise-kun," she snarled.

"Eep!" he shrunk behind Kuroko.

"Coach, Kise helped us to get stronger physically right?" Koganei said.

"I suppose. But that was with the help of Kuroko-kun."

Kasamatsu paused. He then looked at Kuroko. "Then that means Kuroko was the one teaching me?!"

"Yes, Senpai."

"What now?" Izuki asked.

"Kuroko has been teaching me his passes." He answered.

"Eehh!?"

"But at least Kuroko doesn't have a split personality." Furihata sighed. Everyone nodded in agreement. Kuroko's face paled. He then looked at Kise.

"I didn't know how long I'd be stuck in your body! I'm sorry!" he whined.

Kuroko looked at him and smiled. "You're so cute Ryou-kun."

"St-st-stop." He blushed.

Everyone, seeing the exchange, noticed something about the two. Riko had a smug look on her face.

"Kise-kun, why are you blushing?" she asked teasingly.

"N-n-no reason," he stuttered.

"Heeh? I sensed something going on between you two…" She trailed off. When she said that, both boys turned a deep shade of red and turned away their faces. Everyone erupted in a fit of laughter. Kagami then approached Kise.

"Hey, if you do anything to Kuroko, I'll kill you."

"But I'm in Tetsucchi's body." Kise replied.

Then Kagami felt a hand squeezing his shoulder. "If you kill him, I kill you. And worse, I'm after your head for making him receive quadrupled training and punching him in his face." Kuroko said in his usual deadpan manner. But his aura said something else.

"Oh!" Kise perked up. "You know, the day after the training, I couldn't move so Tetsucchi carried me to the bathroom bridal style!" he then squealed, "And then, when we were in the bath we ―"

He broke off as a hand slapped over his mouth. "I made an oath to go to my grave with that!" he shouted.

"But I didn't." Kise smirked.

"No one is to know what happened in there! That's between me and you!"

Riko smirked. But then Kasamatsu interrupted. "Enough of this bromance. It's clear that both of you have a thing for each other so stop being so shy about it." He continued, "I mean, look at how red your faces are."

They then spluttered incomprehensible things and turned away their faces. The others erupted in a fit of laughter and when Moriyama had heard this, he was rejoicing with tears. Passersby gave the group strange looks, as seeing four tall and muscular boys huddled in a corner with a phone was indeed quite creepy.

Time flew quickly, and soon, visiting hours were coming to a close.

"Coach, since we lost to Aominecchi, I was wondering if I take Tetsucchi and teach some more things. I have a feeling that he may encounter him in Inter-High." Kise said.

"It's fine." She replied.

"I'll talk to Coach for you," Kasamatsu said. "After watching your match, I must say, Aomine is a monster."

After that, a nurse came in and told them that they had five minutes remaining. Having nothing else to say, both teams mobilized out leaving Kuroko and Kise. After everyone was gone, Kuroko turned to Kise, moved the hair from his forehead and kissed him there.

"Good job today, Ryou-chan," he smiled. "You did well."

"Tetsucchi…" Kise breathed.

"Now get some rest." With that he left the hospital room. Kise stared at the door and when he saw it close; he buried his face in his pillow. His heart racing out of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	26. Hospital Visit

Chapter 26

...

Kise couldn't sleep. Every time he remembered the kiss, his heart raced. At one point, Kise could swear that he was going into cardiac arrest. _What's wrong with me?_ He thought. This hasn't been the first; he had a similar feeling before…many times before but he chose to ignore it.

He closed his eyes, and in the moment he'd done so, Kuroko's face appeared. His big blue eyes, milky white skin…before things got worse, he sat up quickly in his bed.

"Ahh, what's wrong with me!?" he shouted, almost ending up in a scream.

_xxxx_

The next day after school, Kuroko walked to the hospital in a hurried manner, wearing his usual disguise ― a black cap and a white mask. He got permission to miss training to visit the boy. When he entered through the sliding doors, he removed the disguise and went to the receptionist. Even though he knew which room Kise was in, he felt that it was good manners to still ask instead of just waltzing in.

When she told him the room, he bowed and dashed off, holding his bag carefully. Soon, he neared the door and with two knocks, he heard Kise answered.

"Come in!" When he saw Kise, he busts out laughing. The boy's hair was an absolute disaster, sticking out in so many places; he almost seemed like a porcupine.

Kise pouted at him, and immediately, Kuroko had to turn away his face to hide the blush. But there's no way Kise would miss that. "Tetsucchi, you know you can be cute sometimes."

"B-B-Be quiet." He stammered. He then made his way over to his bed and noticed that the table was full of get-well cards, flowers and chocolates.

"You've got a lot going on here." He said, looking at the table.

"Oh, Yoshino-san and almost everyone from the agency came earlier." Kise chuckled.

"I see." He then pulled out a vanilla milkshake. Kise eyes brightened at the sight.

"Thank you! You saved me! Honestly, I hate hospital food. Every time I eat, I swear that I've gone to heaven and come back." Tears streamed down Kise's cheek.

Kuroko laughed out loud at that statement. "Are you serious?"

"Of course!" he replied. "It's _disgusting_." He took a sip of the beverage. He then smiled. "I can't believe that I have to wait one more day to be free from this hellhole."

"At least you're healthy." Kuroko sighed in relief. "You would not believe how frightened I was when I saw you collapse."

Kise chuckled. "Takaocchi told me exactly how you reacted. I just hope the people you crushed don't plan to sue."

"Ahh, I don't think they'll remember my face." It was then that Kuroko noticed the dark circles underneath Kise's eyes. "You couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"You have bags under your eyes."

"Oh." Kise replied. "Actually, I was tossing and turning all night because I'm not used to hospitals." He said. It wasn't a complete lie, in fact, Kise was a child who rarely got sick. "The place has an aura of death about it that creeps me out."

"Sorry to hear that."

And then came silence. Both boys looked at each other not knowing what to say. Kuroko sat in the chair beside the bed, staring blankly at Kise, waiting for him to strike up some topic.

"Tetsucchi," he then called.

"Yes?" Kuroko answered.

"I…" he paused. He wanted to tell Kuroko but he couldn't find the courage. "…I'm sorry." He said.

"For…?"

"For almost destroying your body. I had felt that I wouldn't last but I wanted to help Seirin win and well…" he trailed off when he felt a finger on his lips.

"It's okay. You did what you had to." Kuroko said. "What would've pissed me off is if you saw Seirin losing terribly and did nothing." He then sighed. "I'm beginning to think that we shouldn't have hidden this from our teams."

"I know, they took it surprisingly well."

Kuroko didn't say anything. He looked at Kise for a couple seconds and then placed his hand on the other boy's shoulder. This moment of contact caused Kise's heart to start hammer in his chest, and the poor boy felt like it was going to jump out of his body.

"Thank you." He then said.

"F-f-for what?" Kise stuttered turning his face away to hide the blush. _I can't believe this! Tetsucchi, are you trying to kill me?!_ He inwardly screamed.

"For not making Seirin lose disgracefully."

"But you helped as well. That piece of advice came in handy."

He smiled. Kise nearly died.

"Tetsucchi!" he wailed. He covered his face with both his hands. "You're killing me!"

"Hmm? How so?" Kuroko asked. Kise lowered his hands and looked at him with what seems the cutest weapon in his arsenal. Kuroko's breath hitched. He could feel the heat rising in his face and so he turned away quickly. What's even more, his heart started racing unexpectedly, so with trembling hands, he clutched the area at his chest and decided to take deep breaths. _What's happening to me? Why is my heart racing so much?_

But then he remembered what Kasamatsu said yesterday.

" _It's clear that both of you have a thing for each other so stop being so shy about it."_

Kuroko's face got even redder. He then turned to look at Kise but found that the boy was staring at him as well.

"Uh, Ryou-kun," he started. He wanted to ask, but he was nervous.

"Tetsucchi, I can't believe that if Seirin loses, I'd have to confess my love naked!" Kise said, sounding like he was in distress. Kuroko paled at the sudden change of subject. "How could you agree to something like that? Imagine me confessing to you like that!" he then put his face in palms, "that's extremely embarrassing!"

Kuroko paused at that. _Confess? To me?_

Sadly, it seems like Kise hadn't realized what he said.

"Ryou-kun, what do you think of me?"

"Huh? Where'd that come from?"

"I was just wondering."

"Well, I think you're amazing. In basketball, to be a player that only specializes in passing is a great feat, I doubt that anyone could do that. But outside of that, you're really fun to hang out with even though you're so blunt and lack expression sometimes. I also like that you're kind and willing to go to such great lengths to save us. Your blue eyes are really beautiful, mesmerizing; they're enough to captivate me and…" he clapped a hand over his mouth.

He then saw Kuroko chuckle. When he looked at the boy, Kise swear that he could see the sunshine and a rainbow behind him. His smile was beautiful. And what made it worse; Kise couldn't see his _body_ , but _Kuroko_.

His heart hammered. His emotions went out of control. Kise felt an overwhelming urge to take the boy and kiss him but thankfully, his willpower was strong enough to hold him back.

"Thank you Ryou-chan." Kuroko smiled. He then leaned over and gives the boy a hug which Kise returned. Kise felt as though he was going crazy. "I think that you are a really amazing person as well. Both on the court and off it." Kuroko whispered in his ear. Kise got goosebumps. He was doing everything in his power to contain himself. "I'm really glad that I got to know you better."

_Snap._

That was the sound of Kise's willpower shattering. When Kuroko released him, he held onto the boy's shirt so tightly, that it gave it wrinkles. He then pulled him closer.

Kise's lips met Kuroko's.

It happened so fast, Kuroko didn't know how to react. When he registered what was happening, he couldn't help himself. He leaned closer to Kise and embraced him without even realizing it.

Due to this, Kuroko had to put both his hands on the bed to support his weight.

But suddenly the door opened.

Aomine and Momoi.

_xxxx_

Aomine lay on the roof, gazing at the clouds. He had bags under his eyes for the first time in his life. Ever since the match yesterday, Aomine found himself unable to sleep or concentrate on anything. Over and over he recalled the events of the match, seeing 'Tetsu' shoot like Midorima, seeing him do Murasakibara's tornado dunk, ankle breaking like Akashi and well, playing like him.

Aomine wanted to believe that it was all dream, a fantasy he'd conjured up because there was no one in basketball who can challenge him. But, hearing the conversations of people who'd watched the match, he knew that he wasn't dreaming.

_Is Tetsu a prodigy as well?_

He shook his head to rid the thoughts. If he was, then both he and Kise had the same ability…he sprang upwards.

" _It wouldn't be fun if you did Aominecchi."_

He just remembered that 'Tetsu' spoke like that to him in the match. 'Tetsu' called him _Aominecchi._ Something that only _Kise_ would do.

He groaned aloud.

"Aomine-kun!" he was taken out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

He turned to face her. "What now, Satsuki?"

"I want to visit Tetsu-kun in the hospital. Come with me." She said.

"No." was his quick answer.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to!"

She then huffed and walked away, leaving him alone. But then, the moment she left, Imayoshi arrived. Unfortunately, Aomine couldn't see the face that the captain made.

"Aomine," he called.

"Imayoshi-san, what are you doing here?"

"Seriously, you aren't going to visit Kuroko?" Aomine didn't respond. "Weren't you two partners back in middle school? Momoi-san told me that ―"

"He's not Tetsu!" Aomine interjected. "Whoever played in that match wasn't Tetsu."

"He has a brother?"

"No, he's an only child."

"Then…" Imayoshi couldn't understand what Aomine was going on about.

"Tetsu can't play basketball normally much less copy the moves of the other miracles. Tetsu wouldn't make those faces that I saw; his face is always blank and expressionless, it usually pisses Midorima off. Tetsu doesn't call me Aominecchi with such a playful tone. He ―"

"People change, Aomine. You haven't seen each other since middle school, right? A lot can happen between then and now."

"Tetsu doesn't change!" Aomine rose to his feet. "He will always remain the same!"

"How are you so sure?" Aomine looked stunned. "Do you know Kuroko well enough to be able to say that?" Aomine's eyes looked downwards. He didn't answer, as a matter of fact, he _couldn't_. Imayoshi then continued, "Momoi's waiting by the gate; don't make her wait too long." With that Imayoshi left, and after a couple seconds, so did Aomine.

_xxxx_

"Hurry it up Dai-chan!" Momoi shouted at him as she ran along.

"I can still see you can't I?" he drawled. As they neared the hospital, Aomine's mind ran on yesterday's match _again_. He still had the uneasy feeling that Kise was the one in front of him, and what made it worse, 'Tetsu' told him that he learned all that two weeks before Inter-High. There's no way he could become so good in such a short space of time. Aomine shook his head to rid the thoughts.

Momoi pouted at him. "Dai-chan, if you space out so much, you're going to bump into a light post."

"Shut up." He said as he fixed his school bag in his hand. "It's just that the match surprised me, that's all." He then sighed. "Midorima told me to be careful and I didn't listen."

"Ah, but in Midorin's match; Tetsu-kun didn't play like that at all." She answered. "He played as we knew he would."

"Hmm," when they entered the gates of the hospital, they saw a familiar blond heading through the sliding doors.

"It's Ki-chan!" Momoi shouted. But due to them being at a distance from the boy, he could hear nor see them.

"Let's hurry Satsuki." Aomine said, increasing his pace. "Knowing that blond, he's going to smother Tetsu to death!"

"Calm down, Dai-chan." Momoi said. "Ki-chan knows when to restrain himself."

"Fine." He succumbed. The two then made their way to the receptionist but only Momoi went up to talk to her as she was worried that Aomine would have demanded the room number from her.

"He's in room 305." She replied.

"Thank you," Momoi bowed and walked off, gesturing to Aomine. He followed behind her and the two slowly made their way to Kise's room, checking the numbers on each door as they passed. But then as they neared the doors with the 300 number, they heard laughter.

When they went closer, they realized that it was coming from 305. They then opened the door without knocking and stumbled upon Kise and Kuroko. 'Kuroko' had one hand roped around 'Kise's' neck while the other hand was, seemingly at his chest. 'Kise' had both his hands on either side of 'Kuroko'.

"Tetsu?" Aomine asked in shock. He raised an eyebrow as due to the where the door is positioned, they couldn't see their faces but to Aomine it looked as though they were kissing. Aomine shook his head. He knew that Tetsu found Kise annoying.

The two then looked at the Touou students. Both Kise and Kuroko then put on the most unreadable expression they both could muster, fighting down the blush that threatened to creep onto their faces.

"Ki-chan, Tetsu-kun, what are you two doing?" Momoi asked.

"Hugging." Came the response from the two. Aomine said nothing but continued to stare.

"Aomine-kun, could you please stop staring?" Kise said to the ace. "It's making me uneasy."

"Oh sorry." He replied.

Then the atmosphere got awkward. Kuroko looked at Aomine and then at Kise and figured that maybe Aomine wanted to speak to 'Tetsu' in private.

He then got up and whispered to Kise, "I'll be at the door," before leaving without saying a word to Aomine or Momoi.

When the door closed, Kise asked, "Aomine-kun, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? You collapsed right in front of me!"

"How are you feeling now, Tetsu-kun?" Momoi added.

"I'm feeling fine." He answered. He then turned to Aomine. "But you didn't even catch me. You stood there like a statue."

"It's because I was frightened! You were playing just fine and then bam! How was I supposed to react fast enough?"

"Izuki-senpai did though." He said. "Ryou-chan as well; and he was coming all the way from the audience."

"Ryou-chan? Who's that?" Momoi asked.

"My best friend." He answered. Aomine looked like he stepped on a landmine. _But I thought that I was his best friend_. Catching the look Aomine had, he asked, "Aomine-kun, are you sick?"

"No…" he trailed off. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Who are you?"

Kise froze. He stared blankly at Aomine but inwardly he was panicking. Well, almost anyone would ask that question, since 'Kuroko Tetsuya' actually _played_ basketball. "Sorry, but I don't understand." He said.

"There's nothing complicated about it!" He roared. "The Tetsu I know can't play basketball like that! Let alone take me on in a one-on-one."

"Well, the Tetsu you know is from middle school." He replied coolly. "This is high school. Things change."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But, to copy the moves of the other miracles is no easy feat, I don't think Ki-chan can do that."

Kise held down his head and smirked. If only she knew. He then looked back at her, "You'd be surprised at what happens in a match."

_xxxx_

Kuroko stood outside the room, pacing back and forth. Almost every second he looked at his watch, and then back to the door to see if Aomine and Momoi were coming out. He got even more worried when he heard Aomine started shouting. He was tempted to go in, but knowing Kise, he knew that the boy would surely give him an earful.

Then he heard chatter. It was coming towards him and when he looked up, he saw them.

Kaijou regulars and Seirin.

He chuckled to himself. What a coincidence that the two teams met up together. But before he could say anything, Kagami called out to him.

"What's up Kuroko?" he grinned. "How are you holding out with Kise's body?"

"I've been doing fine Kagami-kun. But please, refrain from calling me that. Aomine-kun and Momoi-san are in there."

"Oh."

Riko then walked up to the two and started, "Is Kise-kun alright?"

"Yes, Coach," Kuroko replied. "He's gone back to being a ball of sunshine. He should be out by tomorrow." But no one seemed to be noticed that Kuroko was constantly touching his lips.

"Yosha! I can't wait! The first thing I'm gonna do is play with him one-on-one!"

"You still have to wait until your legs are healed, Bakagami!" Riko shouted.

"But two weeks is a long time! I won't even get to play in our last two matches of the league!"

"Don't worry, Kagami. You'll definitely play in Inter-High, right Kuroko?" Hyuuga joined.

"Yes."

"What? How does he know about ―"

"It's because he analyzed Meisei and Senshinkan and gave the information to me." Riko smiled. "Just get better for Inter-High."

"You know, I've been thinking," Nakamura joined. "Since Kuroko and Kise switched bodies, what are they going to do if we should face each other in the tournament?"

There was a pause. Hyuuga and Kasamatsu looked to each other and then to Kuroko who was still leaning on the door.

Kuroko grinned so savagely that Kagami yelped in shock. "I'll do what I have to. Analyze you all until there's nothing left and well…play with everything I've got to crush you on the court."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." Kasamatsu said. "I was a little worried that you'd say that you couldn't play against them."

"Th(a)t's the sp(i)rit Kuroko!" Hayakawa added.

"Ye-yeah," Kuroko had no idea what he just said but he figured it must something encouraging.

Riko, Kagami and Hyuuga grinned.

"I couldn't ask for more." Kagami said. "Bring it on, Kuroko!"

"Of course." Then the door suddenly opened, causing Kuroko to almost fall on his back in Kise's room. He then looked to Aomine and whined, "Aominecchi, you could've at least opened the door gently." When Seirin saw this (Kaijou wasn't bothered), they were shell-shocked. If they didn't know better, they would have believed that it was the real Kise before them and not just his body.

"Huh? It's not my fault you're leaning on the door, you dumb blond!"

"Dumb blond?" Kise and Kuroko said simultaneously. They then looked at each other. "I'm not dumb Aominecchi, I'm way smarter than you." Kuroko countered.

"Psh, please. All the time in Teikou, both our grades were almost the same!"

"That's in Teikou, Aominecchi."

"I'll have you know that our Kise was ranked third out of the entire first year cohort." Moriyama joined in, pride laced in his voice.

Everyone gaped like a fish. Momoi was the first to recover, she looked to Aomine and then back to everyone. "The only thing I can boast about Dai-chan is his skills in basketball."

"Well, it was the same for us and Kagami, but he managed to pass and get in the top 100." Izuki said.

"But it still is a mystery." Hyuuga joined. "For someone who lived in America, he was frighteningly terrible in English."

After that, laughter rang out. Kagami blushed from the embarrassment, but then he walked over to Aomine with a serious look on his face.

"Next time, I'll definitely win! So don't you go losing to someone else before me!"

"Excuse me?" Kobori asked. "Should we face them before you, it's clear that _we're_ going to win."

"Well said, Kobori-senpai." Kuroko nodded.

"Ha! Listen to you guys." Aomine chuckled. "The only one who can beat me is me. Let's go Satsuki, it's crowded in here." He said as he exited.

"Get well soon Tetsu-kun!" Momoi waved. She then followed after Aomine. After the door closed, both teams exploded into chatter.

_xxxx_

Hayama Kotarou packed his bag and soon as the teacher walked out. He sighed loudly, knowing that he was about to head off into the training of the red Emperor. But after thinking about the match that they won, he couldn't help but merrily walk down the hallway humming a tune. When he exited the building and saw the gym in sight, he heard a conversation.

"I went to watch Rakuzan's match but I was disappointed." Boy A said.

Kotarou stopped. _We won our match by a huge margin, or could it be the other team he's talking about?_

"Why? It wasn't exciting?" boy B asked.

"I wanted to see Akashi Seijuurou in action! But he didn't play." Boy A sighed. "I should've gone to watch Touou's match."

"Who they played against?"

"Seirin."

"What? I've never heard of that school before."

"They're new. They're in their second year."

"So? Doesn't Touou have the ace of the Generation of Miracles? How would that match be exciting?"

Inwardly, Kotarou agreed with the boy. In middle school, he had faced against Teikou and he must admit, Aomine Daiki was in a league of his own.

"On the contrary, Seirin has a player that was able to go toe-to-toe with him!"

Kotarou was taken aback. He then heard Boy B gasped. "You're lying!"

"No! I have the video right here! Look!"

Without even a second thought, Kotarou headed over to the boys and with a smile, he said,

"I overheard your conversation. You wouldn't mind if I watched the video as well?"

"Uh, no," boy A answered. He then pressed the play button. The match had started from when Kagami was subbed off and Kise had to take on Aomine alone. Kotarou was surprised. Looking at Seirin's eleven; he had to wonder how he managed to go play against Aomine. He was small, and yes, he had muscles but that still didn't convince him. However, as the video continued to play, Kotarou had to take all that back.

 _Seirin's number eleven is a monster! Who the hell is that guy? Where'd he come from?!_ He thought. But then, he looked at the clock and found that he was late for practice. Looking at the boy who had the video he then smiled.

"Can I ask you for a favour?"

"Umm, depends." Boy A replied. "What is it?"

"I want to show that video to my captain. Could you come with me? It won't take long."

Boy A and B looked at each other before B gave a shrug. "I'll be waiting by the gate."

"Alright."

Kotarou and A then walked in a hurried pace towards the gym. Soon, Kotarou opened the doors only to be met by the heterochromatic gaze of Akashi Seijuurou. Beside him, he felt the boy stiffen from fright.

"Ah, I actually had a good reason, Akashi." Kotarou said, he didn't even wait for Akashi to say anything.

"Then tell me."

"I'd like you to see a video of Touou vs. Seirin."

"What for?" Akashi asked, folding his arms in the process.

"Trust me, Akashi. If it wasn't something important, you know that I wouldn't disrupt your practice."

Akashi didn't say anything right away. Kotarou was right there. "Let me see it."

"Uh, uh, it-it-it isn't the whole match, just from when Aomine went one-on-one with a player from Seirin."

"Alright." Akashi took the phone and pressed play.

After some minutes the video ended, but Kotarou kept looking at Akashi's face. Never before had he seen him with that expression and he was now wondering if showing him the video was the right choice. Akashi returned the phone and the boy happily exited the gym, swearing to himself to never come across any basketball player.

Akashi for the first time in his life, was stumped. He couldn't believe it was 'Tetsuya' playing like that. He last time he checked, 'Tetsuya' couldn't dribble. To see him produce that kind of play in such a short space of time, made Akashi wonder, _Is Tetsuya a prodigy like the rest of us?_

He shook his head. He then walked over to his bag and took out his phone.

"I have to make a very important phone call. Excuse me for a minute." He said to Shirogane. He then stepped out and dialed Aomine's number. Within two rings, it was answered. Aomine knew that he shouldn't keep Akashi waiting.

"Daiki." He greeted.

" _Akashi. I wonder why you've called me."_

"I've recently watched your match with Tetsuya."

He heard Aomine snort, " _That was not Tetsu. I don't know who that was; I could feel in my bones that it wasn't him._ "

"What are you implying, Daiki? We all know Tetsuya is an only child."

" _I know but…"_

"Spit it out," he commanded.

" _While I was playing him, I kept feeling like I was playing Kise. And what was worse, he called Aominecchi. Tetsu would never do that."_

"Hmm, that point is true. Congratulations on your win, even though it was by a hair." Akashi then said. He then hung up the phone. _Daiki felt like he was playing Ryouta, huh._ Remembering the match, Akashi knew it is true that 'Tetsuya' seems to have the same copy ability as Ryouta but 'Tetsuya's' was better. After all, he has never seen Ryouta copy any of the miracles' moves.

He smirked.

Heading back into the gym, he walked over to the coach and said, "I will be absent tomorrow. There's an important matter I need to discuss with someone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	27. Akashi Pays A Visit

Chapter 27

...

"This is a beautiful school." Akashi said as he exited the car. He then walked through the gate, ignoring the obvious stares and whispers. Since Seirin is smaller than Rakuzan, without effort Akashi found the gym, but as he was at the door, he heard unpleasant screams ― "Spare us Coach!", "My arms are falling off!", "I'm going to die!", "If this keeps up, I'm going to end up paralyzed again!"

That last voice was what surprised him. _Tetsuya?_ He then opened the door and the first thing greeted him was loud shout.

"Shut up you brats! We have two more matches in the league left! We're playing Meisei tomorrow so you need to get your bodies into shape! And what's even more, we won't have Kagami-kun!"

He looked and saw that it was female, a student to be exact, standing by the sidelines with a clipboard in her hands. Apparently, they were so engrossed in their practice that they hadn't noticed the captain standing by the door. Hating to be ignored, he quickly approached them, the air around him oozed with intimidation.

"Good day Seirin." He greeted.

Everyone paused.

Kise blanched.

Kuroko tried to hide behind Kagami.

"Uh, hello," Riko said, going up to him. She noticed the uniform and wondered, _what is a Rakuzan student doing here?_ "Who are you?" she then asked.

"I'm Akashi Seijuurou, and I'm here to speak with Tetsuya." He said coolly.

"Can't it wait? We're in the middle of practice." She said.

The look he gave her made her yelp. "I believe that I didn't ask. I _said_ I'm here to speak with Tetsuya."

"Oi, brat," Hyuuga said. "You can't just waltz in here and demand things!"

Seeing how things are going to escalate into something nasty, Kise took action. "What do you want to talk about Akashi-kun?"

Hyuuga looked at him with a shocked expression. Kuroko knew that the captain was about to say something so quickly he called out in a whisper, "Captain," he then put his index on his lips. "Shh,"

The two boys then head out of the gym, Hyuuga and Riko both fuming.

When they reached outside, Kise couldn't help but tremble. Under Akashi's intimidating gaze, he prayed that he'll be able to get through this as smoothly as possible.

"I see you've changed your hairstyle." Akashi started. _It's similar to Ryouta's._

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kise replied. "I felt that since it is high school, I should change things up a bit."

"Hmm," he then noticed that Akashi's tone had gotten even scarier. "I've watched a video of your and Daiki's match."

"And…?" Kise asked. He didn't know what to say at this point.

Akashi gave him a look. "I'm quite surprised that you have the same ability as Ryouta or even better. This has greatly exceeded my expectations of you. In Teikou, you couldn't even do something as simple as dribbling."

"Well," Kise started. "As I have told Aomine-kun, that was in Teikou. This is high school."

"But, Tetsuya," Akashi continued, "To be able to do all that in such a short space of time is next to impossible."

" _Next to_ but it _isn't_." Kise said as he folded his arms and leaned on the door. "It's called practice. And plus, I may not have been able to _do_ anything in Teikou but that doesn't mean I didn't know the theory behind it. I'm a basketball player, so I've seen many basketball moves being performed right in front of my face. You really think that I wouldn't have been able to anything forever?"

"You've gotten quite feisty, Tetsuya." Akashi said. But even though he looked calm on the outside, Akashi was quite surprised at the response and tone that 'Tetsuya' just used. "Another thing that I found quite strange, Daiki said that you called him _Aominecchi_. We all know that that is something only Ryouta would do. And what is more, he said he felt like he was playing Ryouta. Care to explain?"

Kise paused. He knew that slip would come back to bite him in the ass but never imagined it to be like _this._

"I don't know what you're talking about. During the match, I never called Aomine-kun, Aominecchi." He answered. "Maybe he's hearing doubles. The gym was quite noisy."

"Don't play with me Tetsuya." Akashi said, walking up to Kise, ending up too close to the boy who was already struggling to keep his composure.

"Who said I was playing?" he countered. "Aomine-kun…as a matter of fact, you all should know that I would never add –cchi to anyone's name. And if he felt that _I_ was Kise-kun then that's his problem. I just did what I had to do in that match."

Akashi stared at 'Tetsuya' without saying a word. But then he chuckled. "Now that you've gone and done that, do you think that your misdirection will work? I never taught you anything other than passing in Teikou so that you could maintain your lack of presence. Those flashy moves that you've used will make you stand out. You'll never be able to be a shadow again."

Kise looked at Akashi. He wasn't troubled as he thought he should have been as he knows that Kuroko didn't mind him doing all that.

" _What would have pissed me off is if you saw Seirin losing badly and did nothing about it."_ Those words alone were enough to override Akashi's.

Kise smirked. He hated the attitude that Akashi was giving him and he decided enough was enough.

"Who needs misdirection when I've got flashy unstoppable moves?" He said. "After all, my misdirection isn't the only thing in basketball."

Akashi chuckled once more. "You seem confident in your new ability. But you couldn't even last the rest of the quarter. It seems that those 'flashy unstoppable moves' take a serious toll on your body."

"No, it's simple. I'm not strong enough yet."

"With your composition? Your body will _never_ be."

"I have practice to get back to. If you came here just to lecture me, I don't need it. This is Seirin not Teikou." He then turned towards the doors. "You better pray we don't meet in Inter-High, I'll show you whose body can't be strong enough."

Akashi stood there appalled. _Did Tetsuya just walk away from me?_

Kise pushed the door and was shocked when the teenagers tumbled backwards, some fell on their butt. But before he could voice anything, Kuroko stood up and held him on his shoulders not noticing the shocked redheaded captain of Rakuzan standing outside.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I swear that I was going to shit myself." Kise answered. "He's terrifying!"

"We heard your conversation," Kagami said. "Seriously? Why is it that the members of the Generation of Miracles are nothing but guys who are full of themselves?"

When Akashi saw the exchanges he was even more shocked at 'Tetsuya's' behavior but the appearance of 'Ryouta' only added to that. He then walked up to the group.

"Tetsuya, I was not finished." The tone he used sent a shiver down his spine. He then looked to Kuroko, "What are you doing here Ryouta?"

"I could ask you the same question." Kuroko's face was serious. Akashi couldn't believe his eyes or ears. 'Ryouta' had on an expression that he's never seen before, and the tone he used reminded him of Tetsuya.

"I believe I asked you a question, _Ryouta._ " It almost sounded like a snarl.

"It's nothing of any importance to you, Akashicchi." He deadpanned.

"Excuse me?"

"Ah mou~" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm just here to visit my beloved Kurokocchi." He grinned, going into Kise's playful character. He couldn't call him Tetsucchi because that would put them deeper into hot waters. "I missed him so much that I had to come visit!" he then went back to being serious. "That's obviously not important, right?"

Akashi paused. The Ryouta he knew would have never behaved like this. But, he quickly recovered from the shock and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be preparing for Inter-High?"

Kuroko gave Akashi a smug look. "Oh, don't worry Akashicchi."

The redhead then looked at the two boys with narrowed eyes before turning his back to walk off. "It was good seeing you two again, Ryouta, Tetsuya." He didn't even wait for a reply from either of the boys, which they were grateful for. The moment he reached the gate and entered the car, he took out phone. He dialed the number, not even caring if he was interrupting their practice.

" _Hello."_ The voice answered. _"Just what happened for you to be calling me, during my practice?"_

"Shintarou, I have a question for you."

" _Which is…?"_

"Have you come in contact with Tetsuya or Ryouta lately?"

" _Yes, I have."_

"What were they like?"

" _Well, in Kise's instance…We watched the Seirin vs. Touou match together. I must say, he frightened me. He was smart, being that he was able to point out strengths and weaknesses of Touou, and gave Kasamatsu-san strategies on how Kaijou should counter them. It's similar to what Momoi does but he doesn't predict their growth. He seemed quieter, not like the loud whiny airhead we know. He also gave off an air of maturity. At one point, I wondered if it was really Kise beside me and not someone else. In Kuroko's case, he seemed a little more playful, he's far more expressive and…"_ Midorima trailed off.

"And what, Shintarou?"

" _And when I had met him in the preliminaries, he teased me, calling me Shin-chan just like my teammate. It was somewhat creepy. It seems that both Kise and Kuroko have gotten a lot closer."_

"Thank you Shintarou. That will be all." He hung up the call and looked through the window. "Daiki and Shintarou are basically thinking the same thing. There's no way this is a coincidence. I will uncover the truth of this matter." He then sat back and crossed his arms and legs, "After all, I am Akashi Seijuurou and I am absolute."

_xxxx_

Seirin could only stand there in shock. Hyuuga then turned to Kise and Kuroko. "Who the hell was that?"

"He's our former captain, Akashicchi." Kise answered.

"Captain?!" Came the unison screech.

"He's fuck scary, how did you manage being around him for three years?!" Kagami shouted.

"He wasn't always like that." Kuroko said. "That's a different Akashi." he then turned to face all of them with a chuckle. "And he's the one with the split personality, not me."

"You're still hung up on that? We said we were sorry!" Izuki joined. "And plus, Kise is the one you should blame. If he had imitated you perfectly, then we wouldn't have thought that!"

"I know." Kuroko calmly said.

"Speaking about that..." Koganei joined in, "...it just dawned on me that even the guys at Kaijou didn't realize the switch as well."

"Weren't you there when they revealed it?" Riko asked.

"Yeah, but Kise is Kaijou's ace right? How the hell could they have not realized anything about his plays?! I mean, Kuroko's play is just passing, but Kise's more like a Kagami..."

There was a moment of silence. All eyes darted towards the two boys.

Kuroko shrugged. "It's because I can play like Ryou-kun. Just like how I taught him to play like me so that you won't notice anything, he taught me the same."

"Unbelievable," Tsuchida said.

"All boys, enough chit-chat! It's time go into your individual training regimes!" Riko shouted. There was a unison groan coming from all the boys present. Slowly, the boys were getting into position, Hyuuga and Kagami went by the three point line to practice their shots; Fukuda, Tsuchida and Mitobe were off doing strength training; Kawahara and Koganei were practicing their dribbling; Izuki and Furihata were off to one side, practicing passing and ball handling; Kise and Kuroko were the furthest away from everyone.

"So what are you going to use to kill me today?" Kuroko asked.

Looking up at Kuroko, Kise remembered what happened in the hospital room. His face became beet red at the memory, and for some strange reason, to him, the atmosphere felt awkward. "I-I-I was wo-wo-wondering if-if-if ―"

"Ryou-kun, are you alright? Why are you stuttering so much?"

"It-it's nothing." He replied.

"Oh really?" Kuroko leaned downwards so that his face was close to Kise's. Kise felt like he was going to overheat. "Ryou-kun, you're redder than usual. Do you have a fever?"

"No I don't."

"Then…?"

"I just remembered something, that's all." He turned away his face.

The moment he said that, Kuroko knew what the boy remembered. "That's the reason for your stuttering?" he chuckled. "Aren't you overreacting?"

"No." he mumbled.

"Let's get practicing before Coach decides to intervene. I honestly don't want to die young."

"Right," he said. "Today, I want to see just how fast you are. I'm going to imitate Aominecchi and you're going to have to try to get pass me."

Kuroko paled. "You've got to be joking, right?"

"You should know that I have no sense of humor." Kise deadpanned imitating Kuroko.

Kuroko's eyebrow twitched. Kise grinned at him.

"If I can do it in your body then it must be the same for you. After all, my body is faster."

"Alright, alright." The blond succumbed. He then took up a basketball and bounced it. The two looked at each other and then Kuroko took two huge steps backwards. He then dashed forwards with the ball but before Kise could do anything, Kuroko had passed him.

Kise turned around in shock. _What was that?!_

Kuroko turned around to look at the boy. "There, I got passed you."

"I wasn't ready!" Kise whined.

Kuroko smirked. "It seemed the opposite to me, though."

"Well, to be honest that took me by surprise." Kise said, as he folded his arms. "That was too fast."

"I haven't been slacking off you know. You are Kaijou's ace; I can't afford to be average."

Kise grinned. "Then, let's take this up a notch, shall we?"

When Kise said that, Kuroko felt a chill down his spine. Looking at the boy, he could see an aura emanating from his body. Kuroko shivered, he was going to face a monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	28. Training Camp Preparation

Chapter 28

...

_In the remaining days of the league, Seirin won their matches. First, they faced Meisei which they defeated them 72-60 without Kise and Kagami. Then, the second and final match, they went up against Senshinkan. They crushed them 135-45, Izuki, Hyuuga made it their mission to carry out revenge while Kise was adamant that he wanted to triple their score as according to him 'revenge is a dish best served cold'. Kagami only sat on the bench and watched with new found horror at Kise and the Senpai, who, in his opinion, are becoming more monstrous with every game they play._

_And thus, Seirin secured their spot in the Inter-High Tournament._

_xxxx_

On their way home, the boys chatted endlessly, everyone in high spirits. Riko noticed this and couldn't help but smile as remembering last year; the players were in a terrible state. Not wanting to intrude on their _manly_ conversations, Riko took out her phone and began texting. When she was finished, she flipped it closed and after a minute, it vibrated within her pocket.

_Re: Inter-High_

_That's good! I'll be coming back quite soon!_

Her face lit up with a mischievous smirk as her eyes locked on Hyuuga. "I can't wait for you come back, Teppei." She then blew her whistle with a smile on her face. Immediately they stopped and turned around.

"What's up Coach?" Kagami asked.

"Two things, Teppei will be coming back soon," she started.

"Seriously?" Hyuuga asked, looking a bit distressed.

"We may see a lot happen." Izuki added.

"Uh, Senpai, who's Teppei-san?" Furihata asked.

"Oh right, you guys wouldn't have met him yet. He's our number seven, our ace." Izuki answered.

Kise almost let out a screech. "It isn't Kagamicchi?"

"How'd you come to that conclusion?!" the redhead roared. "I just joined the team so there's no way I could become the ace already! You think this is Kaijou?!"

"What are you trying to say about Kaijou, huh?!" Kise shouted back. And thus, this started a very heated argument between the two. Unable to tolerate their bickering, Riko reached for her paper fan and knocked them both to the ground.

"What are you two?!" she shouted. "Stop your useless bickering and let me finish!"

"Yes ma'am." They said in soft voices.

"The second thing, since the tournament begins in a month, we'll be going on a training camp! I've invited a couple people as well."

Hyuuga then turned to Izuki, "I don't know which is going to be worse, the training camp or Kiyoshi."

"I'd definitely say the training camp. Won't Coach be cooking?"

Hearing their conversation, Koganei shivered. "At least we have Mitobe to rely on, right?"

"Coach, you said you've invited people. Who exactly did you invite?" Kawahara asked.

"Fufufu," she chuckled. "It's a surprise."

_xxxx_

When they returned to school, they all headed to the Home Economics department as Riko left to speak to their advisors about the camp. When they were all settled, Hyuuga stood by the chalkboard, ready to address them.

"We're currently facing grave danger." He said.

"How so?" Kise asked.

"We have to make our own food, which is where the problem lies." He then held down his head. When he raised it up again, he started sweating, "Coach will be cooking for us!"

"What? Is it that bad?" Furihata asked.

"Of course it's bad! At the Touou game, you saw her honey soaked lemons!"

"That's not cooking anymore." Koganei said.

"You mean, it's inedible?"

"Why don't we just cook for ourselves?" Fukuda asked.

"I wish we could but…" Hyuuga trailed off. Kise noticed that the Senpai all had a horrid look on their faces. When his eyes caught Mitobe, he saw that they boy was trembling and clutching his chest. Kise was worried. Seeing their expressions, he knew that the Coach's cooking was awful.

"Practice is so brutal, no one can move at night. And now with that new training regimen that we're going through…" Izuki said, his eyes downcast.

"Just thinking about it makes me shiver." Koganei said. But then he covered his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting.

"Koga!" Tsuchida called out. The first years blanched at the scene. _One month with her…I'm going to die!_ Kise inwardly screamed.

_We might die!_ Was the unison thought of every other first year.

Riko then arrived and without hitch, she put on her apron, took out her ingredients and began cooking. A chopping sound could be heard, but strangely, they were quiet. Kise looked at the Senpai and noticed that they had a dismal look, as if something terrible was happening before their eyes.

"Why should we have a tasting session?" Kise asked in a whisper.

"We can't just tell her to practice because she sucks." Hyuuga whispered.

"By the way, can you guys cook?" Kawahara asked the Senpai.

"A little." Izuki answered.

"Pretty much anything." Koganei added.

"Nope!" Hyuuga joined in.

"Mitobe's probably the best, what about you Kise?" Izuki asked.

"Of course. I live by myself mostly so I have to cook everything for myself. If push comes to shove, I'll save all our hides." He then looked to Kagami. "Can you cook Kagamicchi?"

"Well yeah." He answered. "Just like you, I live alone."

Everyone sighed a relief. _We're saved!_

After a couple more minutes, Riko announced that she was finished and her meal was ready.

"I cooked curry!" she smiled.

When everyone looked down on their plates, what they saw was not curry. The rice looked fine but the vegetables weren't chopped. They were whole. Kise looked on in horror. _There is no way I'm letting this damage Tetsucchi's body!_

"Just ignore what it looks like," she said. "It should taste fine. It's just curry anyway!"

"Okay then…" Hyuuga said. He, Izuki and Koganei got ready to dig in. Kise didn't even take up the spoon.

"Thanks for the food." They chorused. When they tasted the food, they immediately looked sick. Just by looking at their faces, Kise knew it was awful.

_The rice is soft like porridge._ Tsuchida thought as he chewed.

_These crisp uncooked vegetables are like a salad._ Koganei cried. _And the meat is raw!_

_And the sauce is mysteriously bitter and sour._ Izuki thought.

_This is a massacre of flavor!_ Hyuuga screamed.

"Let me know if you want more." She asked as she stirred the pot.

_She made a whole pot of it!_

"It wasn't very good, was it?" she then asked. But then before anyone said anything, Hyuuga took up his spoon, and began to chow down. Everyone looked at him in shock, Kise wondered if he wanted to kill himself. Riko was surprised at his actions as well.

"Thanks for the food." He said, the plate had nothing left on it. He then made his way to the door. "It tasted good, but it was a little spicy. I'm going to get something to drink."

Izuki then got up and headed through the door, but then he saw Hyuuga's body lying in the hallway.

"Hyuuga!" he screamed. He then went to the boy and dragged him back to the clubroom. As he returned, he saw Koganei and Tsuchida turned to Mitobe.

"Mito!" Tsuchida called out. The boy was paler than a ghost.

"He's gone!"

_Maybe I should just taste it._ Kise thought. He then took up his spoon, and placed it in his mouth.

Kise regretted it.

Flavours erupted in his mouth; Kise felt like his mouth was being viciously assaulted. When he swallowed it, Kise saw the room spinning. He fell off his chair to the ground, Kagami called out to the boy.

"Kise!" he shouted. The redhead then spun him onto his back. "Oi, Kise!" he then shook the boy.

"Kagamicchi," he croaked out, he started to sweat. "We have to do something. There's no way we can survive a month of this. Help me up."

With trembling legs, Kise managed to stand as Kagami slung one his arms over his shoulder. The two then made their way to the pot and Riko, and then they put on aprons.

"Let's cook, Kagamicchi." Kise said, he was coming back to his normal self. The two boys went to work and some minutes, they were done.

"It's good!" Koganei said. "You two are lifesavers!"

"Of course it's good." Kagami said.

When Riko saw this, she immediately got an idea. Marching up to the two boys, she then said, "Teach me how to cook curry!"

_xxxx_

"Flick your wrist to the left!"

"I got it!"

The ball flew from half of the court over to the next where Kuroko was waiting. Kasamatsu then changed his position, which made the other boy rotate his upper body to get the ball over. When he did that he then ran towards the corner of the court.

Kasamatsu tsk'ed' as he glanced at Kuroko's new position. He grabbed the ball and then pivot on one leg, building up momentum. When he felt that he had enough, he released the ball into Kuroko direction and then moved towards the paint.

However, he did not miss the smirk on Kuroko's face.

Knowing that look, he knew that something was coming. As he steadied himself, he saw the ball land in Kuroko's right palm. The moment that happened, the blond brought down his hand, seeming as though he was passing to the ground. However, the ball came at Kasamatsu with a speed as though he was doing a super fast break.

But then, the captain noticed something.

The ball was coming closer to the floor as it made its way to him. _What's this?_ He thought. The ball then reached the top of the three point line; it crashed to the ground and bounced upwards, heading directly to him.

"I just gave you a perfect ball, Senpai." Kuroko said playfully.

"Right," he replied. Then, Kasamatsu pushed the ball over to Kuroko's side of the court. He realized that the ball he just received started off as a fast break but then turned into a bounce pass as it made its way to the target. _Amazing,_ he thought. When the ball came to him, with a flick of his wrists, Kuroko tapped the ball back to the captain, seeming as though it was going outside.

Kasamatsu chased after it, and caught it in time. He then bounced it diagonally to Kuroko, who was already waiting for it. When he caught it, he spun on one leg and sent it flying over the other side.

"Shit!" Kasamatsu dashed after it, and glanced in Kuroko's direction. The boy had moved. But when he was about to catch it, he heard Kuroko.

"Senpai! Turn your back towards it, then pass it!"

"Alright!" Kasamatsu did as he was told, and managed to pass the ball behind him to the other side of the court.

"Nice, Senpai!" Kuroko said. Kasamatsu could only nod. _If Kuroko hadn't told me that, I wouldn't have caught it._ He was taken out of his thoughts as he saw the ball whizzed past his face. With quick enough reflexes he tried to catch it back but end up sending it outside the court. It crashed to the sidelines, the boys ducking to avoid it.

"The point goes to Kise!" Shinohara managed to announce. Everyone else was staring at the two slack-jawed. Even though this wasn't the first that they're seeing the two do this, it still left them in awe.

"Kasamatsu, you're on a sad losing streak. You're getting your ass handed to you by your kohai almost every day." Matsumoto said after he had come out of his daze.

"But at least he's getting better," Kuroko chuckled. "Before, he would've missed about seven passes already."

"Seven?! No!" Kasamatsu said. "It's five!" he then folded his arms. "These passes aren't easy to catch you know, they're extremely fast!"

The gym erupted in laughter, looking at their captain's face. Ever since Kuroko started teaching Kasamatsu his passes and he's mastering it, this has become a regular in Kaijou. The two would have the court to themselves, while everyone else watches, someone (usually Takeuchi or Shinohara) would record how many times either one misses a pass. Whenever that happens, a point is awarded to the other person.

But today, Kuroko and Kasamatsu engaged in something he thought up called 'tennis basketball'. As its name suggests, they play something like tennis but only with a basketball. Both boys would stand in either half of the court, and continuously pass the ball back and forth each other, and whenever one misses the ball, the point is allocated to the other.

Both games test speed and flexibility, as well as wrist strength. Kuroko and Kise play these games every time they have a shoot, improving both their skills.

"You're even keeping a record of it?" Moriyama said. "Seriously, Kasamatsu?"

"Yes." He answered in a serious tone.

"Alright, alright. Take a rest you two." Takeuchi said. He then walked onto the court to face the boys. "I have something to announce."

"I wonder what it is." Kobori whispers.

"I just hope it isn't a new training regimen to kill us off with." Nakamura joined.

"Kasamatsu, Moriyama, Kobori, Hayakawa, Nakamura and Kise," he started, "you six will be heading off to a joint training camp with Seirin."

There was a pause.

Kasamatsu and Kuroko exchanged glances while everyone else look shocked.

"Ehhh?!" the screech echoed throughout the gym causing the coach to cover his ears.

"Seriously Coach?" Moriyama asked. "How'd you come to that agreement?" he knew that the man was still hung up about the practice match.

"Their coach invited us. And plus, I believe it is a good way to get Kise to examine their players." He grinned. "The camp begins in three days."

"I can't believe this." Kuroko said.

Kasamatsu then placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's a great opportunity to bond with your team." He then chuckled. "And also a great chance to kick Kise. I've got them all stored up."

"Senpai, please remember that it's my body you'll be kicking." Kuroko said, worried. "It's quite delicate."

"I'll try my best." He said. But then he blanched. "I just remembered how terrifying her training is. How will we survive that for a month?"

"Seirin has been surviving since day one so a month won't kill us. We're young." Kuroko replied.

"How can you say something like that?" Kasamatsu asked shocked.

"It's quite easy." He shrugged. "All you have to do is process it in your brain, then open your mouth to form the ―"

"Hai, hai." He interrupted. The captain sighed. Having Kuroko around is a completely different experience than Kise; one, the former phantom is too blunt for his own good. Many times practice went into uproars because of him, their own coach finding it hard to quell the boys. And what does Kuroko do? Nothing. He just watches everything go down like it's not his problem.

Kasamatsu then chuckled. It is actually refreshing. And what's an even better thing, Kuroko talks to _everyone_ in the club. Sometimes, he would go as far as to play mini-matches with those who aren't even on the bench against the regulars, and gives them tips and such. Kasamatsu knew within himself that if Kise hadn't switched bodies with Kuroko, all of that wouldn't have happened.

"Maybe it's all for the best," he said to himself. "I just hope when Kise comes back, he doesn't revert to his old ways."

He was then taken out of his thoughts by the coach. "All right boys! Back to practice!"

Kasamatsu groaned out loud. After that session, he doubts that he'd be able to do anything properly.

"Kasamatsu, Kise. You can rest." He said as he looked in their direction.

"Thanks coach." Kuroko replied. He then took Kasamatsu and pulled him outside. The captain wasn't upset at all, as he knew that there must be a reason for this.

"I don't want to sit and do nothing, so we're going jogging." Kuroko smiled. "Also, we'll need a basketball."

"Why?"

"Because in the midst of jogging, we're to be passing to each other. Bounce, chest, tap…all sorts of passes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, but we're going slowly. My legs still hurts from our session."

"Fine. We're going to jog around the field, around the admin building and then back here. That should be simple enough."

"Sure, I'll go get the ball." Kuroko said as he opened the door of the gym. He then walked up to balls and took one out, before heading over to the coach. "Coach," he called.

"Shouldn't you be resting with Kasamatsu?"

"Yeah, but we're going to be jogging around the field and the administration building. So please don't worry."

"If you're jogging, why do you need a ball?"

"We're going to be passing to each other as well." He answered flatly.

Takeuchi stopped. He looked at 'Kise' and couldn't help but inwardly smile. "Alright, try not to overexert yourself."

"We won't." with that, Kuroko dashed off to the door where Kasamatsu was waiting. Takeuchi continued to stare.

"I'm glad he's on my team." He said to himself. "Maybe we could win Inter-High this year."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	29. Training Camp from Hell begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Ofuro** : Japanese Bathtub

Chapter 29

...

At last, it was finally the day of the training camp. The boys were assembled at Seirin, a seemingly gloomy atmosphere hanging over them. All that was on their minds was the fact that they would be spending a month with their Coach, some guests whom she invited, and her _cooking._ Kise shivered remembering the tasting session. He then made a vow to himself that he'd never make his beloved Tetsucchi subject to such torment.

When Kagami saw the boy shivered, he became worried. Despite he knew that this was Kise and not Kuroko, he treats like how he would have done to Kuroko.

"Kise, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just remembered that tasting session that's all."

Kagami blanched. "That was mortifying, and I didn't even taste it."

"Oi brats," Hyuuga started as he walked over to them, seemingly in clutch mode. "Make sure you remember your duties at this camp. We're all counting on you guys and Mitobe."

"Yes, Captain." They answered. Due to Riko's terrible cooking abilities, Kagami, Kise and Mitobe were elected as the camp's chefs.

"But where's the Coach?" Izuki asked looking around. "I don't see her."

"And our guests. Who do you think they are?" Tsuchida asked. When Kise heard that a smile crept onto his face. Two days ago, Kuroko had called him and asked if he knew about their joint training camp which the former blond had replied in a negative. It was then that Kuroko realized that Riko maybe wanted to surprise her boys.

"I have no idea." Koganei joined in. "But to think she invited people and her cooking is…" he trailed off. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Senpai, what's this 'Teppei' like?" Kagami asked the captain suddenly, wanting get off the topic of Coach's cooking.

Hyuuga froze. He then looked at Kagami with face. "Teppei is…weird."

"Weird?"

"I can't explain it. You'll have to experience it firsthand. And another thing about him is that he's the one who created the basketball club."

"What?!" the redhead shouted causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at the two. "This school never had a basketball club?!"

Hearing that outburst, Kise paled. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Izuki answered. "Kiyoshi is the one who created it."

"Kiyoshi?" Kise asked. "First there's Teppei now Kiyoshi? How many people are missing from this club?"

"No, they're the same person. His name is Kiyoshi Teppei."

Hyuuga then continued. "He's extremely weird, goofy but he's one hell of a centre."

"Seriously?" Furihata asked.

"Then…where is he?" Kise asked. The seniors' face all became sullen, the mood seemed a bit saddened. "Sorry if I asked something ―"

"No, it's not that." Tsuchida answered.

"Last year, before we faced the three kings, we played Kirisaki Daiichi." Hyuuga started. "They had a player named Hanamiya Makoto."

Kise's eyes widened at that. When he was in Teikou, they had faced that Bad Boy before. Hyuuga then recounted the incident to them, poor Kise felt awful.

"In middle school, we played against Hanamiya's team as well. He was still as dishonest as ever." Kise said. "However, we didn't get such serious injuries."

"How come?"

"Well, Aominecchi's speed made them unable to stay on him, Tetsucchi is always doing his disappearing acts, Murasakibaracchi never moves from under net, and well…Akashicchi is just untouchable."

No one said anything. They could stare at Kise with shock.

"Just what are you Generation of Miracles?" Koganei asked.

"Monsters." was Kise's blunt answer. He even smiled with it.

"It's been a long time," a voice said from behind them. Slowly everyone turned around to see Riko with someone behind her.

"Kiyoshi!" Koganei shouted with glee.

"Oh good, he's here." Kise heard Hyuuga groaned out. Looking at the captain's face, he saw that Hyuuga looked a bit…pale.

"First years, this is Kiyoshi Teppei! He was one of our regulars last year as well as our best centre!" she announced.

"Hello!" he greeted almost in a sing-song voice. His eyes then locked onto Hyuuga. "Hyuuga! I've heard all about how you've become an unstoppable shooter! I can't wait to see it in a match." he then turned to Izuki, "And Izuki, I hear your passes are becoming quite lethal."

"Of course, my passes ―"

"Die!" Hyuuga interrupted, knowing that the raven would have said some sort of pun. He knocked the point guard on his head, almost knocking him out. They then went into a series of conversations, laughing and chatting. No one even realized when Riko had disappeared once more.

_xxxx_

"I'm so excited!" Moriyama sang in a falsetto. "Aren't you Kasamatsu?"

"When training starts I think you'll be singing a different tune." He replied.

"I think Moriyama-senpai just want to hit on Coach." Kuroko deadpanned.

"Come to think of it…" Nakamura joined in. "…that may be right." They all paused to look at Moriyama. Ever since he heard of the camp, he was the only one in a good mood (minus Kuroko who gets to spend time with his original team).

"Whenever he's so happy, there's always a woman behind it." Kobori sighed. The boys were walking towards Seirin in a leisurely pace as they knew that they were more than early. Kuroko had been the subject of their conversation when they first arrived, as they spotted the billboard.

After a couple of minutes, when they finally made it to the school, they saw the coach waiting on them.

"Welcome Kaijou!" she greeted.

"Ah ~" Moriyama started, "I'm very happy that ―" he broke off as Kasamatsu elbowed him in the side. This made the others snicker with amusement, including Kuroko.

She then headed to Kuroko, "Good to see you Kuroko-kun." She smiled.

"You too Coach." He replied.

"Well, let's get going. I can't wait to see their faces of surprise!" she chuckled. She then walked off, the boys following suit. As they neared the gate, they heard chatter and laughter and immediately, they knew that it was Seirin. When they finally entered the schoolyard, none of the players noticed their presence due to their heated conversations.

"Men!" Riko then called. Immediately all chatter ceased and everyone looked in their direction. When Seirin (minus Kise) saw the Kaijou regulars, they immediately let out a screech.

"KAIJOU?!"

"You were our guests?!" Hyuuga asked.

Kasamatsu nodded. "Thank you for having us."

"Kuroko!" Kagami shouted as he made his way to the blond. "I want a one-on-one with you!"

Kuroko made a face. "Tsch, as if." He replied rolling his eyes as well.

Everyone drew back in shock. Seirin (minus Kise) were appalled at the show of expression. Kise bust with laughter and made his way to Kuroko.

"That's a good one!" he laughed.

"I know." Kuroko replied.

"Oi, what was that just now?" Hyuuga asked.

"I was just being playful." Kuroko answered. "That and I think was too much into Ryou-kun's character."

"That's right. You reminded me of Kise a while ago." Kagami joined in. "Don't do that again, it's creepy. I prefer your usual deadpan self."

"It's not what _you_ prefer Kagamicchi." Kise smirked.

Knowing Kise, Kuroko knew where this argument was going.

"What's going on here?" Kiyoshi asked. The Kaijou boys looked in his direction. But while the five didn't have so much of a confused look, Kuroko was absolutely lost.

"Who are you?" He asked in his usual blunt manner.

"Ah sorry, I'm Kiyoshi Teppei." He greeted with a smile.

"I'm ―"

"He's Kuroko Tetsuya." Riko answered. "Teppei remember what I told you on the way here?"

"Oh," he replied. He then looked to Kise and then back to Kuroko. "So you're Kuroko," he said pointing to the blond, "…and you're Kise." He then looked to the blue-haired boy. Both boys nodded in confirmation. "What a strange circumstance to be in."

"Tell me about it." Kuroko sighed.

"I find it quite fun." Kise grinned.

"Yeah, because God knows the things you do in my body when I'm not around."

Kise looked at him innocently. "Oh, whatever could you mean?"

"Now that we've all gathered…" Furihata started. "…can we get going now?"

"Oh right," Riko chuckled. "Let's go boys!"

_xxxx_

The two teams finally arrived and slowly made their way inside the building.

They walked through the halls; it was as though she was giving them a tour of the place as well.

The first place she showed them was the kitchen and breakfast area. They entered the breakfast area first, which consisted of four small marble-top tables with four chairs on either side. Looking towards the swinging door, they saw that there were three more seats present but unlike the ones around the table, these were high stools.

Riko then headed through the swinging door to show them the kitchen. Strangely, the atmosphere felt tranquil. The first thing they noticed was that the kitchen was airy and spacious with the natural light illuminating the room. The next thing that caught their eyes was the table in the centre. Its top seemed to be made of granite, while the rest of it seemed like black wood. To the left of the table, there was a black refrigerator and next to it were the L-shaped light wood double-door cabinets which were left slightly open. Inside, the boys could see various kitchen utensils.

Beside that was the counter which extended to the window that was directly above the stove. To the left of the stove and right of the table, there was a dish rack and next to that was a sink. And finally, a wooden cupboard that seemed to be made of out the same wood as the floor. It had framed panel doors.

Kasamatsu whistled upon seeing the sight. "This is not bad. It makes me feel like cooking." He said.

"Me too." Nakamura agreed.

Riko stopped at that. She then asked, "Can you boys cook?"

"Yes, I can live on own and I won't starve or live on fast food." Kasamatsu answered.

"I make my little sister's lunch every day." Nakamura responded.

"Yes!" Hayakawa shouted with pride.

"I cook dinner sometimes at home." Kobori added.

"Of course," Moriyama smiled. "What is a man that cannot cook for his goddess?"

"No one makes a meaner boiled egg than me." Kuroko answered. Everyone stared at him when he said that. The way he spoke made it seem as though boiled egg was gourmet food and add to that, his blank face.

"That simply means you _can't_ cook." Kagami said. "Right?"

"I won't starve if eggs are left in the fridge." Kuroko replied. Kasamatsu and Hyuuga felt the urge to face palm.

"Well, this is unfair." Izuki said.

"What is it?" Koganei asked.

"All of Kaijou's regulars can cook."

"Look on the bright side," Tsuchida smiled. "We've got eight boys here who can cook." The moment Tsuchida said that, there were grins on all of Seirin's faces.

"Let's go, I'll be showing you the baths next!" Riko chirped, oblivious to the conversation. They filed out and walked down the hallway and reaching where the hallway broke off into two directions, left and right. They turned right and after making a couple steps, they arrived at the door.

"Here we are." Riko said as she slid the door opened.

Inside was tiled with beautiful jade green tiles, both the floor and the walls. The large and rectangular _ofuro_ soaking tub was to one side of the room surrounded by the tiled walls and floor, while fixed to one wall was the shower that had a flexible hose.

"Now seeing this makes me want to take a bath." Moriyama said.

"I know." Kobori agreed.

They then exited the room and turned in the direction which they were coming from. But instead of going back to the direction of the kitchen, they continued straight ahead. After passing a couple doors, Riko then opened a double door, to reveal a large room.

"This is where you all will be sleeping." She smiled.

"Every one of us?" Kasamatsu asked.

"Yep! I thought that since Kuroko-kun was originally one of us he may want to sleep with us but also, he's become quite attached to you guys as well."

"I see." The boys then entered the room but before they could unpack, Riko announced.

"Now isn't the time to unpack! Change into your training clothes; we're going to the beach!"

Without hitch, the boys began undressing and redressing, and within a couple of minutes, they were fully dressed. When they were about to exit, Riko blocked their path. She looked at all of them and then shook her head.

"Kuroko-kun, Kise-kun, you may go." She said. The two boys exited, leaving the others confused.

"Coach, why did you let those two go on without us?" Kawahara asked.

"Your weights. You know we don't do training without them."

Everyone cringed. "We're doing this again?" Kasamatsu asked.

"Of course Kasamatsu-san." She smiled.

"But we don't have any." Moriyama said. "So could we just ―"

"I have extras."

The boys paled.

_xxxx_

Kise and Kuroko decided to jog towards the beach, to get their bodies warmed-up. At first, they didn't talk to each other as Kise didn't know what to say. He was always the one to start conversations with Kuroko but recently, every time he's with the blond, he found himself unable to. His heart constantly raced out of control, and there is a swirl of emotions swelling within him. And this whole thing started when he and Kuroko had kissed in the hospital.

His eyes then trailed upwards to the boy's face. He then wondered about how Kuroko felt when he did that, but so far nothing changed about their relationship. Kuroko still spoke to him as though nothing had happened but Kise couldn't help but feel like a love-struck teenager.

"Mou ~" he whined to himself, which Kuroko heard.

"What's wrong Ryou-kun?" he asked.

"Ah, it's nothing! Nothing at all!" he answered hurriedly.

"It's something. The way you answered is a dead giveaway."

"You know me too well Tetsucchi."

"Of course."

Kise then stopped. Kuroko stopped a couple more steps ahead due to Kise suddenly stopping without saying anything. His head was hung down, the hair hiding his face. Seeing Kise like this, made Kuroko fill with worry.

"Ryou-kun?" Kuroko asked cautiously as he stepped closer to the boy.

"How do you feel?" he asked in a soft voice.

"About what?"

"About me. And what I did to you in the hospital."

Kuroko was taken aback. He didn't know what to reply as he had a whirlpool of emotions to deal with. Just like Kise, ever since that kiss, he couldn't look at Kise without blushing, or without having the overwhelming urge to embrace him in a hug.

Kise then looked up at him. Seeing how long Kuroko took to answer, he figured that the boy didn't want to say anything to hurt him. "It's fine. I'm sorry that ―"

Kise didn't get to complete his sentence. Instead, he felt arms pulling him into an embrace.

"Have you forgotten what I said in the hospital room?" Kuroko whispered in his ear. He then released Kise but his arms were still around the boy. "Well if you did, let me remind you."

"What?"

Kuroko didn't reply. Instead, Kise felt himself being pulled forwards once more and before he could even utter a syllable, he felt Kuroko's lips on his. Kise thought that he was in heaven at the moment. As if moving on instinct, Kise draped his arms around Kuroko's neck and returned the kiss fervently.

After couple seconds, Kuroko broke away from Kise, both boys panting for air. He then said,

"If we should do this in such a public space, we may create ourselves a scandal."

"Oh shit," Kise said in realization as he looked around. Thankfully no one was there. He sighed a relief. "But, that escalated quickly. I didn't expect that at all."

"Now you know how I feel." He muttered.

Kise chuckled. "I heard you. Let's go before Coach catches us." He then dashed off, "Race you!"

"That's not fair! You have a head start!" he shouted at the boy. "Get back here!"

_xxxx_

Kise and Kuroko had reached the beach in record time due to their race, they then collapsed on the sand.

"Let's never do that again." Kise panted. "Racing with weights on is a killer."

"Look on the bright side, the more we do this, the faster we'll be when we're on the court." Kuroko said, facing the sky. "I'll do this as many times as possible."

"You're right about that."

It was then that they realized the pair of basketball nets a little further away from they were. There was a man standing there as well, seeming as though he was testing their sturdiness. Both boys then exchanged glances before heading over to where the man was.

"Hello." Kise greeted.

The man looked at him and jumped, "Uwaah!" he put a hand on his chest. "Where'd you come from?"

Kise pointed. "We're having a camp here."

"Camp?" the man then asked. "Basketball?"

"Yes," Kuroko then joined in.

He saw the man smiled. "Aida Riko is your coach right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Kise asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." He then walked off, leaving the two.

A minute or so after, they saw the group coming towards them. Riko had on a smile, while the rest looked like they were dying. Kise paled at the sight. Just then, a black car drove up beside the group.

"Oi, brats," the man said as the window was lowered, he lowered his glasses as well. "Lay a hand on my daughter and I'll kill you."

"Yes sir!" they answered.

"Thanks Papa!"

He then drove off, Riko waving.

"The coach's Dad…" Hyuuga started, looking like he was fretting.

"He's as scary as ever." Koganei added.

"That was Aida-san's father?" Nakamura asked. "I hope he isn't coming back."

"Yeah, but I don't wrong him. His daughter is going to be alone with seventeen healthy high school boys." Kasamatsu said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he came to check up on her every day."

"So what are those?" Izuki asked Riko. This gained the attention of everyone else.

"Fufufu," she laughed. "My dad brought them here for me."

"Don't tell me we're going to…" Izuki trailed off.

"We're going to play basketball." She answered. They then walked towards the nets. "Imagine the teams' power as an equation, if the individual numbers are low, we'll never make a big number. That's why Kise-kun and Kuroko-kun came up with all those training regimen for us." There was unison groan; however, she knew that her boys were glad for it.

"True, if it weren't for that, God himself would have had to help us in that Touou game." Hyuuga said. There were unison nods of agreement.

"Shooting, passing, dribbling," she then continued, "In order to further improve your actions, we have to start with the foundation of your legs and hips. That's why we're practicing on the beach."

"This is going to make us twice as tired." Kagami said.

"Don't forget the addition of the weights." Moriyama said.

"We can do it! Let's go!" Hayakawa shouted.

"Oh my God!" Kuroko shouted from the shock.

"What's wrong?" Kobori asked.

"I understood what he said! He spoke clearly!"

"Well he does, sometimes." Moriyama said. "It isn't every time he's incomprehensible."

"We'll start by doing three times the amount of normal practice." Riko said as she took off her shirt. "Let's get this training camp from hell started!" she blew her whistle.

_xxxx_

After they were finished, they then went into mini-matches. The first match was Kaijou vs. Seirin regulars, 6 vs. 6 (Mitobe was used as the centre and not Kiyoshi).

The boys found it extremely difficult to move, Kagami and Kuroko sliding all over the sand; Kise, Kasamatsu and Izuki's passes were reduced to typical basketball passes that excludes bounce passes. Hayakawa wasn't as explosive as before, and he didn't get as much rebounds like always. But this just made him louder. Not all of Nakamura, Moriyama and Hyuuga's threes went in as they couldn't get their preferred jump height due to the sand, so they was reduced to making mostly layups and bank shots. Kobori wasn't that much affected by the sand, just sometimes he misstep and slides.

At one point, Kagami attempted a dunk but due to being on the sand, he didn't get as much height as he should and thus ended up crashing face-first into the sand.

"Is dunking the only thing you can do, you moron!?" Hyuuga had barked at the redhead.

The match continued on for twenty minutes, Riko crackling like a witch as she watched from the sidelines. The others who weren't playing as blanched at the sight before them.

At the end of the twenty minutes, Riko blew her whistle, signaling the end of that match. The boys were panting heavily but they were relieved that it was over. But as soon as they had cleared the way, she sent them running.

The next match was 3 vs. 3, Tsuchida, Koganei and Kiyoshi on one team, while the three freshmen were on the next. This match was similar like the previous.

When everything was done, the boys lay on the sand, panting for air. They drank water like their lives depended on it and within a minute or two of rest, no one had water left.

"Good work!" Riko announced. "We'll move to the gym next!"

"You've got to be kidding me." Kobori panted. Even Hayakawa lay in the sand unable to move.

"Oh no, I'm quite serious." She grinned. She then went over to Kiyoshi. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This will be perfect for whipping my body into shape." He replied.

"Good," she smiled.

After a couple more minutes, they then headed to gym and sadly for them, they jogged there. Once more, they started off with the Kaijou vs. Seirin match and the boys noticed a huge change.

Nakamura, Moriyama and Hyuuga all got a better grip of the floor than when they used to.

Izuki noticed that his legs weren't flopping around anymore.

Even Kagami, instead of going for a dunk, he did a layup.

Hayakawa got all the rebounds but this time, instead of having his usual explosiveness, he timed it right and jumped normally.

But one thing that Riko noticed that they didn't, they're speed has improved. _If this continues, they'll be frightening!_ She couldn't help but grin.

_xxxx_

It was evening when they reached the guesthouse, clad in their orange jersey.

"This place is a dump." One of the players said. "Are we really staying here? I feel like I'm going to see a ghost."

"Shut up, Takao." Another said.

"Come on Shin-chan, I know you feel the same." Takao said playfully.

Midorima looked at him. "Hmph."

They were at the back of their group, so the older players didn't hear their conversation. Passing couple doors, they heard shouting and things being thrown. By the time they reached a big double door, they heard a shout,

"Oi Kagami, move from that spot or I'll kill you!"

"Maa, calm down Hyuuga."

Then they heard a horrified gasp, followed by a screech. "My pillows! Give them back Kagamicchi!" this voice made Midorima's eyes widen with shock. _Kuroko?_

"You bastard! You can't hog all the pillows to yourself! That's too much! Are you building a mountain or something?!"

"It's his mount ever rest." Izuki punned. 

When they couldn't take anymore, curiosity got the best of them and they slid open the door with force. Immediately, all activities ceased. All eyes locked onto their coach who hasn't even said anything yet. But then, Kagami spotted someone.

"Midorima?!" He shouted while pointing a shaking finger at the green haired shooter.

"I can't believe I'm in the same place with such a brute like you." Midorima retorted.

"Seirin?" the Shutoku players said in shock.

But then Takao's eyes caught Kasamatsu. "Kasamatsu-san? Wait, Kaijou is here as well?"

"I don't believe this." Nakatani said. He then smiled. "This is will be quite interesting."

"Coach, did you invite them as well?" Furihata asked.

"No, this is entirely coincidental." She smiled. While she made her way Coach Nakatani, Midorima then walked in and headed over to Kise and Kuroko.

With a serious tone, he asked, "What was that?"

"I'll pardon your intrusion." Kise said. "What was what Midorima-kun?"

"When we were passing I heard you screech and call Kagami…you added –cchi to his name. More so, the way you spoke reminded me of you Kise." He said looking at the blond.

Kise paled. Kuroko sighed. "He did. But Tetsucchi was just being mischievous. He's starting to show expressions these days you know."

Midorima narrowed his eyes at the two. "Fine." He then exited. But they knew that Midorima didn't believe either of them. The moment the door was closed; Kuroko turned to Kise and said, "better him than Akashi-kun."

"Any day." Kise agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	30. Training Camp pt. II: Phantom Shot

Chapter 30

...

The room was silent as everyone was sound asleep. In the top right corner of the room was Nakamura and beside him was Moriyama. Next to Moriyama was Kasamatsu and completing that row would be Kobori who was by the corner closest to the door. Below them was Hyuuga who was also right under the widow. Next to him was Kiyoshi (the captain had opposed to it but everyone else had already taken their spaces), beside the cheery centre was Hayakawa who ended up below where Kasamatsu was.

The next row had Kagami beneath Hyuuga (as he wanted to be at the window as well, but he feared the captain's wrath while in clutch mode), beside him was Izuki and beside Izuki was Tsuchida. Below them were Koganei, Mitobe and Fukuda. Below Fukuda and at the walls were Kawahara and Furihata while next to those two were Kise and Kuroko being in the corner closest to the door.

By now, it would be early morning, but the sun was absent from the sky. Everyone slept like a log as the training from yesterday drained every bit of energy from their bodies.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The sound came from underneath Kuroko's pillow and slowly, the boy raised his head and reached for the phone. He then shook Kise awake, the boy groaning as he turned to face the wall.

"It's time to jog." Kuroko said with a yawn.

"Oh." Kise replied likewise. Quickly and stealthily, the boys got up, and headed to the bathroom to brush their teeth. When they were done, they returned to the room and put on their weights. Once again, they exited the room soundlessly and then Kise made his way to the kitchen with Kuroko following.

"Before we head out, we need to give our bodies some energy." Kise grinned. "Could you get the blender for me?" Kuroko nodded while Kise headed to the fridge and took out a bag with his name on it. He then went to work.

He placed all the ingredients in the blender and blended thoroughly, but Kuroko was worried about what he was about to drink. But then he calmed down, knowing that Kise would never let him drink something that may end him.

"Ryou-kun, what are you making?" Kuroko asked. He was sitting around the table.

"A protein punch shake." He replied, not taking his eyes off the blender.

"But it's… _green._ "

"All the better. That way you know it's extra healthy." Kuroko couldn't say anything more. He only watched with horror. After some minutes, Kise turned off the blender and reached for two large cups. He then poured the contents into the cups and gave Kuroko one.

"Here." He said with a smile. Kuroko was hesitant in taking it. "Don't worry, it tastes great. I would never give anything horrible to my beloved now would I?"

"Ye-yeah," Kuroko uttered out. He then closed his eyes and took a sip of the green substance. His eyes then widen with shock. He then began to wolf it down until the cup was empty. "Ryou-kun! It's amazing!"

"Of course." Kise said with pride. "It not made by Coach, so it should taste normal."

"Huh?"

"Tetsucchi, your coach can't cook. She almost killed us off at her tasting session." He shivered. "Don't eat anything from her."

"Seriously? She can't be that bad."

"She's terrible. What she does isn't cooking. It's summoning something otherworldly."

Kuroko erupted with laughter. Hearing Kise's description, he couldn't contain himself. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Kise then drank his share and proceeded to put some in their bottles as well. A good amount was left so Kise poured it into a jug and placed it in the fridge. When they were done, the two boys left the kitchen with two bottles, one with water and another with the punch.

Exiting the guesthouse, they then began their exercise by jogging towards the beach. They jogged in a fair pace, not wanting to exert themselves before they reached the beach.

When they arrived a couple minutes later; they continued jogging, marking off areas where they should start and stop. They did this for a couple minutes and then took a break.

"Good grief," Kise said as he sat on the sand. "These weights are a killer."

"You should make more of that shake. I feel energized, strangely." Kuroko said.

"Of course." Kise replied. "That's why I brought my ingredients. We're going to need it for Coach's training." The two then fell into silence as they watched the waves. "It's peaceful." Kise then said.

"Yeah," Kuroko replied. "But we can't get too comfortable. Let's do our sprints."

Kise then got up and stretched. "But we haven't even rested for a minute yet!"

"This is nothing, Ryou-kun."

"I know, I know." The boys then got on their marks and after Kise counted to three, they dashed off. They continued this until their legs ached, their speed dropping significantly.

After that, they went into pushups, doing about three sets of ten. Kuroko hadn't minded it, but he was fretting for Kise. He knew that his original was fragile but when his eyes caught Kise, he had to think otherwise. The former blond had worked a miracle on his body, as with every push, Kuroko could see evidence of the muscles beneath his pale skin.

At one point, Kuroko had to pause to look at Kise. _Oh shit!_ He thought when he saw him. He tore his gaze away from the boy and sadly, he didn't see the smile on Kise's face.

When they finished they finished their push-ups, they collapsed on the sand, exhausted. Re-hydrating themselves with the water and the punch, they continued with their exercises.

A little over an hour later, the boys ended and left the beach. With trembling arms and legs, the two crawled their way back to the guesthouse.

_xxxx_

"Men! Get up!"

Stirring out of their sleep, the boys opened their eyes to see Riko standing at the door with a paper fan in her hands. Knowing what would happen, Hyuuga, Kiyoshi, Izuki and Koganei quickly sprang to their feet. Mitobe, Tsuchida along with the three freshmen were sitting up while the Kaijou regulars were already on their feet. Kagami was still sleeping. When she spotted him, Riko quickly marched over to where he was and slapped him awake.

"Ow!" he cried. "What ―!" he broke off when he saw Riko standing over him.

"What were you going to say, Kagami-kun?" she asked.

"Nothing, ma'am."

"By the way," Nakamura started, "Where's Kise and Kuroko?"

"Now that you've said it…" Riko said as she looked around.

"They're probably gone on their runs." Kasamatsu answered.

"Runs?!" everyone chorused.

"Yeah, they usually do them together. When the two were living together in Kanagawa, they did it every morning." He said with a shrug.

"Seriously?" Hyuuga asked. "Then why didn't they wake me up? I would've jogged as well."

Kasamatsu blanched. "No, you don't. I've jogged with them twice before and trust me, it's brutal. And what's even worse, they do sprints and push-ups afterwards. Really fast sprints without easing up."

"What are they?" Tsuchida asked. "Monsters who look like teenage boys?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"You know, that might not be a bad thing." Izuki joined in. "I remember the Touou match. When Kise took on Aomine after Kagami was subbed off; due to him copying Aomine, I felt like I was doing back and forth sprint exercises at some point. It would be good if my body could get used to that."

"True, I could use that training to get my legs back into shape." Kiyoshi said, looking as though he was contemplating it. "I'll ask them if I could join them when they return."

"You're actually right." Koganei said. "Is what Mitobe says."

"Fufufu," Riko chuckled aloud. "Then, since you all feel that way, consider _that_ a part of your training starting as of tomorrow." She announced. Without saying anything more, she left heading to the kitchen. Hearing what Riko said, the boys knew that they were going to die come tomorrow. With sad groans, they filed out of the room to freshen up.

Later, when they had finished, the boys moved to the kitchen, but Seirin had terrified looks on their faces. None of their cooks managed to get in the kitchen before Riko, thus she had started to prepare breakfast. When Kaijou saw their faces, they couldn't help but fret, as to why these boys are looking at the kitchen which such expressions.

"I'm going to drink some water." Koganei said. He then walked to the fridge and opened it. But he saw something that caught his attention. He paled. Slowly, he took it out and called to Riko.

"Coach, did you make this?" he asked. His voice was shaking, fretting that the answer may be positive.

"Uh, no." she replied. "But it does look healthy."

"Maybe Shutoku was the one who made it." Moriyama responded. As if on cue, the players entered the breakfast area. A silence befell them until their coach spoke.

"Good morning Seirin, Kaijou." He greeted.

"Good morning." They chorused.

Riko then came out of the kitchen with a smile. "Oh Shutoku you're here. I'm in the middle of making breakfast, care to join us?"

"No problem." Nakatani replied for the team. They then took a seat.

"Is it you who made this?" Koganei asked them with the jug in his hands.

"No." came the unison reply from the legendary kings.

"Then…" Izuki trailed off. "…it's probably Kise and Kuroko's."

"Ah, that's the most logical answer." Kasamatsu said.

Koganei sighed a relief and then put back the jug in the fridge and drank his water.

_xxxx_

Kise and Kuroko finally made it back to the guesthouse. The first thing they did after taking off their weights was head to the bath, to relieve their tired bodies. They weren't bothered that the room was empty, as they knew that everyone would've probably been awake by now.

After soaking in the bath, they then showered and made their way to the breakfast area. The two then mumbled a 'good morning' to everyone when they entered. When everyone looked at them, they noticed that they looked…exhausted. As Seirin and Kaijou saw this, they immediately blanched as they were going to be training with those two for the rest of the month.

The two then made their way to the kitchen and while Kuroko took out their punch, Kise searched for two cups. Then the former blond returned to the seats, Kuroko followed with the jug. No one took their eyes off the jug.

Before they took their seats, Kise poured out some into Kuroko's cup and then into his cup. Everyone cringed at the sight as not only was it green, it was also thick. From past experiences with Riko, the seniors of Seirin felt like something could crawl out at any moment.

Then Kuroko and Kise wolfed it down as though it was water.

Eyes bulged out at the sight, but what was more, when they saw that the boys no longer looked exhausted, curiosity got the better of them. But none wanted to taste it. However...

"Well, it does look refreshing." Nakamura said. "Let me taste it." He then got up and went for a cup. When he returned, he held out the cup and Kuroko poured some into it.

"This is good!" he exclaimed. "Strangely, I'm feeling energized!"

"What? How come?!" Kobori asked.

"It's a protein punch shake. It's supposed to do that." Kise answered.

Looking at each other, without hitch, they dashed towards the kitchen to retrieve cups. Within seconds, the boys surrounded Kuroko and Kise. Even Shutoku got some as well.

"By the way," Hyuuga started as he took a sip. "Where were you two?" He wanted to be sure of what Kasamatsu told them. After all, the captain himself wasn't sure where they had gone.

"Oh, we went to do our morning exercises." Kuroko answered.

"Next time, leave a note or something."

"Have you forgotten Hyuuga?" Izuki joined in. "There won't be a next time. Starting tomorrow, we'll be jogging with them as a part of our training."

Kise almost choked on his own spit. "What?!" he asked.

"Coach decided on it this morning." Tsuchida answered. "Kasamatsu told her what you may be up to and well…"

"Well, we don't _only_ jog." Kuroko said.

"What?!"

"You'll find out tomorrow."

The two couldn't help but laughed at their teammates' misfortune. But that didn't last long. Soon, Riko emerged from the kitchen with a triumphant grin on her face.

"Breakfast is ready!" she announced.

Seirin (Kise included) flinched.

Kaijou (Kuroko included) and Shutoku seemed unaffected. Moriyama was ecstatic.

Riko served the platings; Hyuuga, Kiyoshi, Moriyama and Kobori took two plates each to give the others. Within a minute, everyone was served with their own plate of curry. Seirin was shocked that it looked normal but then…

" _Itadakimasu!"_

Everyone took a spoon of their food and placed it in their mouths. Well, everyone except Seirin. As for Kuroko, the moment he took up the spoon to place in his mouth, Kise grabbed Kuroko's wrist.

"Tetsucchi, I warned you this morning. _Don't,_ "

"But it looks normal."

"Looks can be deceiving." As if on cue, the moment the others swallowed, they started coughing while some spit it out. Everyone wolfed down their water, hoping to get rid of the horrid taste.

Kise looked to Kuroko. "See?"

"Thank you for saving me." Kuroko paled.

"Just what is this abominable thing?!" Takao asked.

"It's terrible!" Midorima added. He then looked over at where Seirin and Kaijou were and noticed that the Seirin boys hadn't touched their food. "Kuroko!" he roared. "You knew she couldn't cook, didn't you?!"

"There's no need to get your panties in a twist, _Shin-chan._ " Kise replied in Kuroko's usual deadpan manner.

"What do you mean?!" he exploded. "This thing almost killed me and my teammates!"

Shutoku's side then erupted in panic. "Coach! Coach!" Otsubo and Kimura held the man while Miyaji wiped the sweat that was running off him.

"Even my Coach is dying! Kuroko! You planned this?!"

"How could I, Shin-chan?"

"Don't call me that repulsive name!" Midorima had actually lost his cool. Not only did the food taste horrible, 'Kuroko' called him ' _Shin-chan'._

Seeing Midorima lose his cool was actually funny. Kuroko decided to join in. "Be careful, with your shouting, your glasses might crack." Kuroko spoke in his usual manner ― a blank face devoid of expression.

"You…!"

"Kise's right Shin-chan," Takao spoke up after he downed his water. "Shouting won't bring us anywhere in this dilemma."

The shooter exhaled and sat back down, but his eyes never left 'Kuroko'.

" _There's no need to get your panties in a twist, Shin-chan."_

Midorima shook his head to rid the thought. This was the second time that 'Kuroko' addressed him as 'Shin-chan' but unlike the last time, his face was deadpan like what he was used to from Teikou. But even so, he could hear the hint of playfulness there albeit his voice was flat and monotonous. Add to that, 'Kuroko' used a term that he's never heard him use before. _Is that really Kuroko? Or has he changed so much that I can't believe it_?

"No way!" He heard Riko said. He looked at the coach just in time to see her in shock. "But I cooked it the way Kagami-kun and Kise-kun taught me!"

Everyone paused. All eyes looked to Kagami and 'Kise'.

Raising his hands in front of him, Kuroko quickly yelled, "I'm a good cook! I live alone so I have to know what I'm doing! Plus, I'm a model so I can't eat junk food to distort my figure!"

"Me-me too!" Kagami said to defend himself. "She _probably_ made a mistake somewhere!"

"Pfft!" Kise held his head down to laugh. Kuroko's statement was killing him.

"Then why?" Izuki asked.

"Coach's inability to cook is beyond human understanding." Koganei said.

Kise, wanting to know the reason behind it, then got up and went into the kitchen. He then beckoned her to follow him.

"Coach, serve another plate."

"Alright." She said as she took up the wooden spoon. "First you put the rice on the plate. Then before you add the sauce…" she trailed off as she sprinkled _something_ on it.

Kise paused. "Is that cheese?" Upon looking closer, he couldn't decipher what it was. Feeling disgusted, he couldn't help but ask, "What the fuck is that!?" he roared, staggering backwards and covering his mouth in horror. Everyone blanched when they heard the outburst and saw the look on Kise's (in Shutoku's eyes 'Kuroko's') face.

"Did 'Kuroko' just curse?" Midorima asked himself.

"Has she been putting something in the curry?" Kasamatsu asked, sweating.

"Coach, what is that?" Koganei asked.

"It's protein and vitamin C powder."

"That's it! That's it!" the boys roared.

Kise then snatched the plate and proceeded to dump it. "Don't worry about their protein intake. I'll handle that. You just serve the thing normally."

"Alright."

Kise then looked at everyone. "We're safe."

The moment he said this, she emerged from the kitchen with two plates and headed over to Shutoku. Kise, Hyuuga, Mitobe, Kuroko, and Koganei went to help as well. When they were all seated and started eating, they realized that it was edible.

"It's normal!" they chorused in relief.

_xxxx_

After breakfast, both teams went into the gym as, the first day that Shutoku had arrived, Nakatani and Riko came to an agreement for their teams to play against each other.

"Starting today, instead of holding our scheduled practice in the gym, we're going to be practicing with Shutoku high. The boys from Kaijou will play tomorrow and thus we'll be rotating between ourselves and Kaijou." Riko told her boys. There was no objection. Slowly the Seirin boys put on their bibs and headed onto the court. While the Kaijou boys decided to run on the beach.

"Hold on Kagami-kun." Riko said to the redhead.

"Huh?"

"Go run with Kaijou." She then turned to the boys from Kanagawa, "I want you all to start your run from here to the convenience store 500 metres away. Of course, you'll be taking the beach."

"Alright Coach." Kuroko said as he walked to the door.

"Why?" Kagami asked. "That's not fair!"

"Oi, you shouldn't argue with your coach, freshman!" Kasamatsu roared, kicking him as well. "Now let's go!"

"Yes Sir!"

They filed out of the gym, Kagami mumbling something inaudible while they jogged to the beach. Kise watched as they left, and then focused his attention to his mini-match with Shutoku. _Today, I'll play it just like how Tetsucchi would have, hopefully._

He and the others then got into position; the ball was thrown in the air for tip-off.

_xxxx_

"By the way, did any one of you ask Coach how many laps we should be doing?" Kuroko asked. "I know I didn't."

There was silence.

"Wait, no one did?!" Kagami roared. "Then when will we know to stop?"

"When our legs ache." Nakamura replied. "Your coach seems like the type who would do just that."

"But I wanted to play in the match as well!"

"Is basketball the only thing in your head, Kagami-kun?"

"You bastard…"

"Think about it. There's a reason why Coach told you to run with us." Kuroko responded. When he saw the look on Kagami's face, he knows that he'll have to spell it out for the redhead. He sighed. "Your legs. She's strengthening them. She's doing this so that there won't be a repeat of what happened in the Shutoku match. Because who knows, you may injure your legs so much this time around that you won't be able to play ever again." He then smirked. "And you wouldn't want that, right Kagami-kun?"

"Ye-yeah," he answered. But then he got serious. "But don't ever do that again! Even though it's Kise's body, I know that it's you Kuroko, so don't put on any expression. It's creepy."

"I can't promise you that." Kuroko said ignoring the snickers of the others. "Especially now that we're in the same place as Midorima-kun. As long as I'm near him, I'll have to be Kise. I just hope that Kise can do the same."

"Please," Kagami rolled his eyes. "That energetic blond could barely do that around us, you think he'll be able to do that around Midorima? Worse if that green-haired bastard says something bad about you? Plus, you saw what happened at breakfast. He called him 'Shin-chan'."

"You're right." Kuroko sweat-dropped.

"But all we have to do is explain that 'Kuroko' has a split personality disorder." He said while air-quoting Kuroko's name. "He can believe that, right?"

"Oh Kagami-kun, you have no idea."

_xxxx_

By the time Kaijou and Kagami returned, they saw everyone leaving the gym. Kagami looked like he was about to burst into tears, Kuroko went into the gym when he didn't see Kise amidst the rest.

When he entered, he saw the boy sitting on the floor with a basketball in front of him. Upon hearing the footsteps, and seeing who it was, Kise perked up.

"You're right on time Tetsucchi!"

"For what?"

"For our special training of course!"

"I thought we were going to do that later on."

"I thought that since you're here might as well we start."

"Okay. What are we going to be doing?"

"Since you basically have everything down, I was thinking of helping you to create your own way of shooting. When I saw Moriyama-senpai tried to shoot yesterday on the beach, I thought to myself: could Tetsucchi find his own shooting style as well?"

"You know, I had that thought as well." Kuroko chuckled. He then walked over to Kise and took the basketball. He then got into shooting stance, but instead he didn't release the ball. "I just can't figure out a way to use my palm as we thought up before."

Kise examined the boy. "Normal people shoot using fingertips and wrists…" he mumbled to himself, hoping to discover something. Seeing how he held the ball, he had a thought. "Tetsucchi, try to hold the ball with your left hand, like so." He demonstrated. With his left hand bent in a right angle, he bent his fingers as though he held a ball.

Kuroko mimicked the action.

"Then, I don't know." Kise shrugged. "Push the ball to the net or something."

Acting on a whim, Kuroko did exactly just that. However, the ball headed straight to the net and bounced off the wall. But, it wasn't in vain. Both boys got a stroke of genius.

"Tetsucchi!","Ryou-kun!" both ended up calling out to each other at the same time.

"You go first." Kise said.

"Well, this stance is much more comfortable." Kuroko chuckled. "The only problem is that the ball was too low."

"I noticed that as well. Instead of pushing it directly to the hoop, I think you think give it some height first." Kise said. "That way, the ball will arch in the air, and probably go in the net. Unless, you can find a way to make it bounce off the backboard into the net."

"We can try both ways."

Kuroko once more got into position, with the ball at his chest he then aimed at the net. However, once more it fell short. Sighing, Kuroko wondered what was happening. However, Kise was lost in a daze.

"Te-Te-Tetsucchi!" He said. "How…? The ball…vanished for a second there!"

"Really? I didn't notice."

"You _didn't_?!" he nearly screeched. "That was amazing and you didn't notice?!"

"But the ball didn't even get in the net."

"That's the least of our problems." He then calmed down. Realizing something, he then said, "I don't think that shot can be done for three points."

"Huh?"

"Given that you're shooting from your chest, I noticed that the ball is lower than a regular one. So by the time it's supposed to come down from its arc, it's too short. So try shooting from the paint area."

"Right." Kuroko made his way over and once more assume his form. Kise shook his head with a smile when he saw it. _If he should use this in my body, then people are going to think that Kaijou is full of abnormal guys._

While Kise was in his thoughts, Kuroko was seriously contemplating on how to do this right. He already got the arc down and now that he's moved to a closer distance, it should be better. Focusing on the net, he then took aim. With a hard enough push, the ball arched in the air and with a ' _swoosh_ ', it fell through the net.

"Ryou-kun…" he started. "I did it."

"Shit," he heard Kise swore. "Tetsucchi, why does everything you do involve invisibility?"

"What?"

"Remember when we first started our shooting practices. I said that it would be cool if you could create a shot that disappears." He then looked to the net. "You just did." He then chuckled. "That shot is going to be a pain in the ass for defenders. We should think of a name for it."

"Uh, no."

"Why not?! Moriyama-senpai's shot is just called ' _irregular'_ , that's bland. How about _Shadow Shot_?"

"Too much S's."

"How about _The Disappearing Shot_?"

"Too long."

"Hmm…" Kise tapped his chin. He then smirked. "I got it! You won't be able to refuse this one!"

"Try me." Kuroko teased.

"The Phantom Shot."

Kuroko turned his face away. Kise knew he was right. Kuroko then began mumbling something inaudible, Kise only catching bits and pieces of it.

"Fine, that's a pretty good name for it." Kuroko succumbed with his cheeks turning red. Kise then walked over to Kuroko, and tipped on his toes. He then placed a small kiss on his cheek startling the boy.

"Now, how about a one-on-one? Let's see if you can beat me this once." Kise smirked.

"You're on." Kuroko grinned.

Kise went to retrieve the ball, "For some strange reason, I can't wait to face you in a match."

"Neither can I." Kuroko replied. "Inter-High is going to be very interesting."

Suddenly the door opened, "Ha! Damn right about that Kuroko!" It was none other than Kagami. He jogged over to where the two boys were. "How about a quick one-on-one?" He then turned to Kise "Captain said that us two and Mitobe will cooking. We should start dinner in an hour and a half."

"Okay," Kise replied.

"So let's play!"

"With who?" Both boys asked.

"With you of course Kuroko! I want to how just good you've gotten. I've yet to see you play so…"

"Fine. It's time I get my revenge for that night at the street ball court."

"You're still on that?"

Kuroko smirked." You have no idea, Kagami-kun."

The redhead flinched the moment he saw Kuroko's face and heard the chilling tone he used. It was then that he wondered just what he had asked for.

"Kagamicchi, let me warn you." Kise started with a malicious grin. He held the ball in his hands, as he was the one who was going to throw it up. "I created a monster."

Kagami shivered this time. He seriously wished he didn't ask for this one-on-one.

The ball was then thrown into the air for tip-off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	31. Training Camp Pt. III: Beach Exercise

Chapter 31

...

Kagami found it hard to sleep. His eyes kept looking over to where Kuroko was, remembering their one-on-one. Kuroko had completely destroyed him (which he didn't mind) but nonetheless, it left him shocked. He remembered the first time he played Kuroko at that street ball court and playing him today showed just how much he has grown. But Kagami knows…he knew that today Kuroko had held back.

" _I created a monster."_

"Damn right." He murmured to himself. Right now, Kagami couldn't differentiate who was the bigger monster. Kuroko? Kise? The former blond was from day one, and now that he's able to copy the moves of the other miracles makes him even more frightening. But then there's Kuroko, whose growth speed is nothing less than alarming. Kagami shivered, if that wasn't a real match and Kuroko was that dangerous, imagine him in Inter-High. Wanting to get some sleep before their horrid training, he turned his back to the door and closed his eyes.

_xxxx_

"That's too much height and not enough distance." Kise said.

"I see. But Midorima-kun's threes have an extremely high arc." Kuroko replied.

"I know that. But you aren't Midorima-kun or me." He replied while tapping his chin. "Maybe if you try to lower the arc to your preference then maybe…" he then lit up as though struck with eureka. "That's it! Don't try to get the arc as high as Midorimacchi. Just do it _your_ way."

Kuroko sighed. "That's a tall order, you know."

"But I believe in you anyway. Even if you can make one out of ten shots go in, I'm pretty sure that you can fool anyone."

Kuroko smiled.

It was early morning, couple minutes after three o'clock. Since they would have their running sessions with the others now, Kise decided that they should get up before everyone else (Kuroko complained about his lack of sleep), to practice some more moves but his other intention was to ' _spend time with his beloved Tetsucchi'._ This time, Kise wanted to see if Kuroko could shoot like Midorima. Since he could do it in his body, he thought that with the right training Kuroko could as well.

But so far, so bad. Kuroko was at the centre-line and every shot he's made stops short ― the ball kept crashing down into the paint area. But strangely, Kuroko doesn't feel frustrated at all. He was actually having fun, and looking at Kise's face, he knew that the ball of sunshine was as well.

_xxxx_

By the time the boys were finished, it was time for them to start their runs. They made their way back to the kitchen and sat.

It was then that they heard the racket.

"That's the cue." Kuroko sighed. "I feel sorry for Shutoku. They must probably think that it's a curse to be with such noisy people."

"Yeah." Kise replied with a chuckle. "Midorimacchi is probably fuming right now." The moment Kise said this; the door opened revealing the two teams. They all looked awful, their hairs were in disarray, and their faces looked as though they were half-dead.

"Fix those faces." Riko said from behind. There were unison groans coming from the boys. When she made her way to the front of the group, she spotted Kise and Kuroko sitting down. "Why do you two look so refreshed?"

"It's because we are." Kise smiled. He then looked at the group, "I've made some shake for everyone; it should raise your energy."

Without hesitation, they rushed inwards and took up their bottles, downed the shake. Kise tried to warn them that that was the only amount that they could get and well, no one listened to him. He gave up and watched as they drank it all.

When they were finished, they got even louder. Hayakawa and Hyuuga kept shouting 'Let's do this' to get the others pumped up for training. The others responded with an even louder 'Yeah' and Kise had to wonder if he had mistakenly put something in that shake.

The two teams then filed out and made it outside and without hitch, they jogged off. Kasamatsu and Hyuuga were at the front of the group, behind them were Moriyama and Izuki followed by Nakamura and Kobori. Then, it was Hayakawa and Kiyoshi, and Mitobe and Koganei; Tsuchida and Kagami were behind them, and then the freshman trio. Lastly, at the back were Kise and Kuroko.

Unlike everyone else, they weren't bunched up with them; instead, the two were a little distance away. Neither was saying anything, but they both could tell that they were happy with just being in each other's company. And what's even better, with everyone focusing on their jogging, no one seemed to realize that the two were lagging behind _intentionally_.

After a couple minutes, they reached on the beach and continued to jog but this time, their pace had increased slightly. Strangely, throughout this jogging session, no one spoke to anyone, each person focusing at the exercise at the moment. Even the normally loud people (Hayakawa, Kagami), not even a peep could be heard coming from them. The two captains were especially happy for this peace, as it gave them time to think.

Finishing the last lap of their jogs, it was then that they realized that Kise and Kuroko were behind, seeming as though in their own world. Under other circumstances, the captains would have attacked the boys but given that they do this every morning even _before_ they came on this training camp, they decided to let it pass.

"Alright! Two minute break!" Riko announced to the boys. The moment she said so, they abruptly stopped and re-hydrated themselves. They all took a seat on the sand, catching their breaths as well.

However, Kise and Kuroko did not.

They continued to jog, and everyone noticed the look they had on their faces. Both boys were relaxed, and had hardly broken a sweat. Even Kagami was appalled by all this. As Riko watched them, she noticed that there was some sort of rhythm in their steps; the two moved stride for stride and it seemed as though their breathing is in sync as well.

"Is it just me or do they really look like they're more into this than us?" Izuki asked.

"Given the fact that they do this practically every day…" Kasamatsu joined in. "…I'm really not surprised."

"But, we've been jogging for quite some time now, aren't they tired with those weights on?" Tsuchida asked. "I mean, my arms and legs are starting to ache and we haven't even reached half of the things that we're supposed to do."

"I know." Moriyama shivered. "But whether or not they're tired, they still keep going on. I think ―"

"It's time for us to show them that we can match up to them as well." Kagami interrupted with a grin on his face. "There's no way I'm going to let Kuroko exercise more than me. There's no way I'm going to lose to him!"

"You're right Kagami," Kiyoshi joined. "But you know…this isn't a competition."

Hyuuga then got up and made two steps going in the direction of the sea. "What are you all doing?!" he roared. "Get up off your asses and let's jog! Let's show our two kouhai the strength of their Senpai!"

"He's right." Kasamatsu got up as well. "Let's go!"

With re-invigorated strength, the boys got up and quickly jogged behind Kise and Kuroko. The two could only chuckle.

"Trust Kagamicchi to turn this into a competition." Kise chuckled. "And also, trust him to ruin our jogging together."

That last statement made Kuroko bust with laughter. "I agree."

"So, since they had a couple time to rest, why not take it up a notch?" he then grinned.

"Definitely." Kuroko smirked.

As soon as the others came close to them, they sprinted off at a blistering speed. Everyone's eyes bulged at the sudden reaction, but then their faces turned into joy. Kagami sprinted off first, hoping to catch the boys, followed by Hyuuga (who entered clutch mode) and Kasamatsu (who wanted to pull the Kaijou guys). Hayakawa was close behind them as well with his loud mouth, while everyone else was behind them.

"You can do it boys!" Riko cheered. Hearing this, Moriyama was suddenly empowered, and dashed off, catching up to Kagami.

 _I shall do my utmost best for you!_ He thought. When the others saw this, they couldn't believe their eyes but somehow, it motivated them as well.

Looking behind them, Kise and Kuroko saw the mess and laughed out loud.

"This really has turned into a competition." Kise smiled.

"I wonder if they can hold out." Kuroko added.

They continued on with their sprint competition, but while they were doing so, Riko was recording their times, Even though they were supposed to sprint after their pushups. With each time that she recorded, she was appalled. Previously, their times wouldn't be this fast…but even more so, Kise and Kuroko were the fastest, even faster than Kagami.

"Just what are those two?" she asked in shock.

After couple minutes, the boys began to tire. Everyone's pace dropped but while the others had reverted to jogging, Kise and Kuroko were still sprinting, even though they weren't as fast as before.

Not being able to do anymore, they all collapsed onto the sand, lying on their backs panting heavily.

"Since when did they get so fast?!" Hyuuga said aloud, looking at Kise and Kuroko.

"No matter how fast I ran I just couldn't catch them!" Izuki joined. "And they have on weights!"

"They're monsters!" Kagami added, panting heavily. "Simply put."

As Kagami said this, all eyes darted to Kise and Kuroko. They were further away from everyone else at the shoreline; they were leisurely walking hand-in-hand.

"I wonder…" Izuki started. "…are those two together or something?"

"I can bet any amount of money that they are." Kasamatsu said.

"I don't think so," Hyuuga said. "Well not yet at least. By the end of Inter-High I'm sure they'll get together by then."

"Please, they've been together before this camp." Moriyama said, "They were just hiding it."

And this sparked a conversation centering on whether or not Kise and Kuroko were together.

_xxxx_

By now, Kise and Kuroko were simply sitting down on the shore, feeling the cold water under their feet. They could literally feel eyes staring at them, but they knew that it was their teams anyway.

"My legs ache." Kise said with a sigh. His legs were stretched outwards, causing the water to soak his shorts. "Turning exercise into competition is not fun."

"Indeed. But I felt like I ran faster this time around."

"We all did. I noticed that everyone was so pumped up that they didn't even realize how far they were pushing their bodies."

They fell into silence for a short while before Kuroko spoke again. "Why are letting your shorts get wet? Do you know how much sand is going to be in your shorts?"

"I can wash it out can't I?" Kise smiled.

"But it's going to be a hassle."

"Then you help me. It's your body after all." He smirked. Kuroko blushed furiously. Just the mere of thought of that was about to drive him insane.

"Kuroko-kun! Kise-kun!" they then turned around as they heard Riko calling them. "It's time to go!"

"Hai!" they chorused. They walked up to the group, Kise's shorts was dripping wet, Riko had to look at him incredulously.

"Your shorts is soaked. You're going to wet the hallway when we get back."

"Oh." Kise then proceeded to wring out the shorts, but this action caused his thighs to be exposed. Kuroko found himself subconsciously staring, and hadn't noticed the others' reaction.

"Those thighs are pretty pale." Tsuchida commented. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think he's a girl!" Kagami shouted as he made his way to the former blond. This caught everyone's attention. "I mean, only girls should have those kind of thighs right?"

"What do you mean?" Riko asked.

Kagami then grabbed Kise's lower shin and pulled his leg upwards. In order to prevent himself from falling, Kise had to hold onto Kasamatsu. "Look at these! They're so milky white and what's worse, they're wet!"

Kuroko looked at Kagami with intense eyes.

The redhead continued, "Only girls should have these wet and milky thighs, right?!"

There was silence.

"Kagamicchi! What the hell are you saying?!" Kise screeched in shock. He wormed his way out of the redhead's grip and stood on both feet.

"You have really nice thighs, almost like a girl's."

_Shatter._

That was the sound of Kuroko's calm demeanor breaking. Within the blink of an eye, Kuroko had snatched Riko's clipboard, taken out the papers and then threw it with such force in Kagami's direction that she cringed in pity for Kagami.

The clipboard almost collided with the redhead's forehead, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Looking at Kuroko, they all stiffened with fear, as they could all see a dark aura emanating from his body. He then made his way to Kise and at this point, Kagami was slowly getting up.

"What the hell was ―" he broke off, when he saw Kuroko looking at him, scary in all his jealous rage. The redhead shivered.

"Die." He hissed at him. Kuroko then took Kise bridal style and then walked away from the group. Everyone was left speechless as to what just happened; Kagami knew that he was going to die by the hands of Kuroko, he just didn't know how.

He was then taken out of his thoughts when he heard Koganei, "Kasamatsu-san and Moriyama-san was right, they're already together."

"That was Kuroko?" Kawahara asked. "He's terrifying."

"Let that be a lesson." Hyuuga started. "Never compliment Kise."

"You'll just incur the wrath of the jealous boyfriend." Kiyoshi said, half joking, half serious.

"Learning this lesson will lessen the one's chances of death." Izuki punned. For once, Hyuuga didn't punch the boy but he was actually glad for that comic relief.

"Let's head back; I have a feeling that Kuroko-kun just might just attack Kagami-kun with a knife."

Kagami nearly fainted.

_xxxx_

Kuroko was seething with rage. As he walked towards the guesthouse with Kise in his arms, he didn't care of the stares and the girls screaming (since they had been recognized as the models).

"You know, Tetsucchi," Kise started, "I could've sworn that you were about to take Kagamicchi's head off."

"I couldn't do that. Seirin needs him." Kuroko answered. "What pissed me off is the fact that he described your thighs as _wet_ and _milky_. That's obviously sexual harassment."

Kise's face became smug. "Hoh? Or is it that you're jealous because he was staring at my thighs?"

"Of course." He quickly replied. "I'm the only one who's to do that." A blush appeared on his face as he said that.

Kise felt as though his heart would have jumped out of his chest. A grin came on his face and then he said, "Remember that I have sand in my pants." he said with a wink.

"I-I-I can't help you with that!" he turned his face away from the former blond.

Kise cracked up at how hilariously cute Kuroko was being.

_xxxx_

The rest of the day was spent in the gym, they played a match ― Kaijou vs. Shutoku, however, Kuroko didn't play. Instead, he watched both teams, and was secretly thinking up another formation to use in matches in certain situations. He was just a bit upset that anytime Seirin was playing, he would be running. If that weren't the case, he knows that he'd give Seirin a couple formations as well.

After the match (Kaijou ended up winning), they then practiced their individual skills; Izuki, Kise, and Kasamatsu practicing their passes, Hyuuga, Kagami and Moriyama practicing their shots with Hayakawa and Kiyoshi at the net ready for the rebounds. Fukuda, Kobori, Nakamura and Mitobe worked on their defense in trying to stop the shooters from scoring. Koganei, Tsuchida and Kawahara worked on their dribbling, Kuroko helped Furihata (Riko didn't want Kuroko too close to Kagami as she was worried for the redhead's life) work on his ball handling.

They continued that until dinnertime, this time, the boys made sure that Riko never steps foot in the kitchen. Mitobe, Kise, Kagami along with Miyaji and Kimura prepared the meals, Kasamatsu, Moriyama and Kobori served. Since all three schools were there, the players had decided to share, that meant dinner and breakfast were a combined effort of Shutoku, Seirin and Kaijou.

After dinner, Kise, Kuroko went to the gym to continue their training but Kagami decided to join while everyone else took a bath (except Riko since she had made the boys bathed first) and headed to their rooms.

_xxxx_

Walking down the hallway was Riko. She carried her bathroom products in a small basin, seeing that she had just finished a bath.

"I feel refreshed." She smiled to herself. Just then, the door slid open and the three boys entered. She screamed in shock as Kagami looked absolutely frightening. "When did you three leave?" she asked.

"After dinner." Kuroko answered. "I doubt anyone had noticed us slipping out."

"Enough chit-chat," Kise joined in. "Kagamicchi go take a bath."

"What? You need a bath too!"

"I know. But there's no way we're going to take a bath with you."

"We?" Riko asked. She then looked at Kuroko and realized what Kise meant. "You take baths together!?"

"We've always done it. Ever since we lived together in Kanagawa and whenever I stay with him in Tokyo." Kuroko replied. "It's a regular thing."

"Hai, hai." She sighed as she shooed them off. She then continued down the hallway to see Kiyoshi sitting in a massage chair.

"I feel rejuvenated." He said.

"You sound like an old man." She said.

"Riko, have you seen Hyuuga?" he then asked.

"He just went outside with a ball. Probably seeing Kise, Kuroko and Kagami all drenched in sweat and coming from the gym sparked something in him."

"Really? They're unbelievable like that?" Kiyoshi was surprised. "Those first years really going for it."

"What do you think of this training camp?" she asked him.

Kiyoshi slumped. "What do I think? Are you not satisfied with something?"

"No, but…"

"You're doing the right thing. This practice will improve everyone's fundamentals. Not only that, but that dynamic duo's training will definitely level us up. If there's a problem, it'll be with the players." Riko's eyes widened at that statement. "If there's something we need to improve the team even more, it's for each player to understand his role. You could call it establishing a style."

"I hate how you act like you know everything." She then told him.

"What?"

"Seriously, why didn't you become the captain? I don't have any complaints about Hyuuga-kun, but you're suited for the job, too."

"Hyuuga's a better fit. You push them and Hyuuga pulls them. That's the best way. That's why I asked him to do it." He then got up. "But honestly, we're on the right track. From what I've seen, the training that we've been doing have greatly improved our skills. Keep it up."

"I'm not the only one you should thank." She said as she walked off. The two then made their way back to their rooms, Kiyoshi a little hesitant due to loud racket that he was hearing. When he slid open the door, the sight he saw made him wonder exactly how sane the two teams were.

On both sides of the room, there were eight people ― to Kiyoshi's left there was Kise, Kuroko, and the freshman trio, Koganei, Mitobe and Izuki. To his left, there were the Kaijou regulars, Hyuuga, Tsuchida and Kagami. He noticed how the redhead trembled, as directly in front of him was Kuroko who looked as though he was still hung up about the thighs incident.

"Charge!" Hyuuga roared. Kiyoshi was taken out of his thoughts when he saw pillows flying across the room. He chuckled to himself, seeing that his teammates hadn't changed one bit. Taking up a stray pillow, he then knocked on the door, causing them to abruptly stop.

"Kiyoshi, you're back." Nakamura said. But then he looked around. "Whose team are you going to join? We're already even up."

"It doesn't matter." He smiled. "Let's just have some fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	32. Training Camp Pt. IV: Shutoku's Misery

Chapter 32

...

For the rest of the week, the two teams seemed to have developed a daily routine. Whenever the alarm went off, the boys groaned in misery and sluggishly got up. No one even bothered to look at where Kise and Kuroko usually slept as they knew that the two were already gone. They would then go to the bathroom and freshen up, and then return to the room and put on their arm and leg weights. Afterwards, they would go down to the kitchen where Kise and Kuroko would be waiting (after they have finished with their training) with their water and protein punch shake. It was thanks to Kise that they got energy to do their hellish morning exercises, but on the flip side, they were glad for the training.

The boys would then mobilize out of the guesthouse, and as usual, they seemed to wake up the whole place. The moment they finished their shake in the kitchen, Hyuuga, Kagami and Hayakawa would shout words of encouragement to get the others pumped up and ready.

They would then jog to the beach in a slow pace, as according to Riko, she was preserving their strength for the hell that awaited. Then, when they reached the beach, they went into sit-ups and pushups and all manner of strength training, as once more, it had turned into a competition to see who can do the most. Surprisingly, Moriyama had won thrice (Riko was cheering so he felt empowered).

After that, they would usually have a little free time, to do what they wanted…everyone heading into the water to have some fun, but one thing they noticed, Kise and Kuroko had disappeared.

_Every. Single. Time._

But unbeknownst to them, the two boys were actually doing something basketball related. After getting the information from Riko, the two were planning a new regimen for their teams as they couldn't continue using this same one for the entire camp.

Whenever the sun started to rise, they then made their way back to the guesthouse, and the first place they headed for was the kitchen.

"Are you really going into the food area sweating like wild animals?!" Kise had shouted, catching their attention. Everyone just looked at him; their expressions obviously told him that was the case. Mortified, he had then shrieked, "Unbelievable!"

After dinner, Kise and Kuroko always headed to the gym (Kagami stayed away from the blond as he knew that Kuroko still wanted to kill him). The two would then do some warm-ups and then head into training. They would start with Kise teaching Kuroko more of the miracles' moves (except Akashi, since Kuroko could already ankle break)and how to make them his own.

In terms of shooting like Midorima (from the centre line that is), out of ten shots, only two would go in. In addition to that, his arc isn't as high as the green-haired ace, and the ball always lands on the rim of the net before going in.

It was still an accomplishment in Kise's eyes, but for Kuroko, he made an oath to himself to never shoot like that unless it was absolutely necessary. He hated it.

The next miracle they tried was Murasakibara. Kuroko's defense wasn't terrible, but Kise still wanted to see just how far he could push him. Strangely, since Murasakibara is mostly on defense, Kuroko could adapt quite well.

Another time, Kise attempted to teach Kuroko some of Aomine's styles. At first, Kuroko felt as though he could never play like Aomine, since there is no form to anything he does.

"Don't worry Tetsucchi," Kise had re-assured him. "This is why it's called training. Even if you don't do it perfectly like Aominecchi, as long as you have some of it down, it should throw him off."

After hearing that and seeing Kise's face, Kuroko succumbed to the former blond and went ahead with the training. For this, they played one-on-one and in Kise's mind, should Kaijou go up against Touou, Touou has no chance of winning. With his Tetsucchi and Kaijou's teamwork, more than likely, Touou would crumble.

Whenever Kuroko was teaching Kise, it was always more intense. They would increase the speed of the ball and such, but even more so, they kept creating passes together.

Sometimes, whenever it was the passing training, the two would involve Kasamatsu and Izuki; since they were their partners and persons they coordinated the most with, in any match. The two point guards had literally died the first time, since the ball's speed was so fast, they had a hard time keeping up. But after a while, they were getting the hang of it.

When Riko had decided to take a peek at what they were doing, she was overflowing with excitement. The way how Izuki and Kise coordinated so well, she couldn't wait to see them in a match. But then, there's Kuroko and Kasamatsu, who were nothing less than terrifying. She then began to ponder on what would happen should Seirin and Kaijou meet in Inter-High.

She couldn't help but grin.

_xxxx_

Meanwhile, Shutoku were not amused. Ever since they came to this camp, Seirin and Kaijou made it next to impossible for them to wake up at _their_ schedule time. Otsubo found it strange that the two teams woke up uncharacteristically early for healthy high-school boys ― four o'clock in the morning. And then after all the shuffling and stomping, the noise would decrease, making the guesthouse peaceful again.

But as soon as some minutes pass, Otsubo along with the rest of his teammates would hear an even louder racket, seemingly coming from the kitchen. Shouts like "Let's Go", and "Yeah" echoed throughout the walls, and he honestly wondered if the two teams had boom-boxes in their throats. It irritated him to no end, and many times in the background, he had heard Miyaji and Kimura planning to stone the two teams with green pineapples. 

The two, like everyone else, hated the early morning racket that was Seirin and Kaijou.

 

Takao was in a similar position as Otsubo. Due to the noise caused by teams, Midorima would always end up in a terrible mood. And poor Takao (who always tried to be a friend and cheer him up) felt the blunt of it all. No matter how hard and how much the point guard tried, it only made Midorima worse.

The moment he got up, the green-haired shooter would grumble like an old man, but as soon as it was breakfast time and his eyes caught Kagami, he would fall silent but during practice, he would usually take it out with the ball and net.

That wasn't a good thing.

Takao noticed that if he didn't pass the ball as well as he should, Midorima chewed his head off.

If he looked at the shooter too much, Midorima seemed as though he would feed him to alligators.

If he calls him " _Shin-chan"_  like he'd always, Midorima would give him a cold stare that would leave him frozen. Takao couldn't understand this, as Midorima (after a while) had finally accepted him calling him Shin-chan.

But nothing could beat Wednesday.

It was a day when Cancer was ranked last, Leo was first, Aquarius was second and Gemini was third according to Oha-Asa Horoscope. Takao could swear that he felt Midorima's killing intent even when he was on the other side of the room or court. That day, it seemed to the hawk-eyed boy that Midorima totally flipped his switch.

Since Kagami was a Leo, "Kuroko" was an Aquarius and "Kise" was a Gemini…and add to that, they're all here, preventing him from getting his desired sleep. Even more so, Cancer's lucky item was a knife and Oha-Asa had said that if Cancers put it to good use, then their luck would go up.

That day, Takao, the rest of Shutoku along with Seirin and Kaijou found out exactly how fast Midorima could be. Kagami, "Kuroko" and "Kise" were practically chased by the shooter and there were multiple times when he'd shot the knife and if it wasn't for the sun, Kagami would have had a knife embedded in his crown.

The next day and the rest of the week, Midorima had cooled off, but the same routine again in the morning; Seirin and Kaijou getting up at an ungodly hour, creating noise and well, disturbing Shutoku to the best of their abilities. Takao had many times tried to tune them out, but it seems that their vocals were on a different level.

After couple minutes the noise would die down and wouldn't return again until breakfast time.

Breakfast seemed to be the place where there would be less noise and chaos since, well; everyone would be stuffing their faces. However, Takao thought wrong. It seems that breakfast had become the time when crazy things happen, especially between Seirin and Kaijou. And somehow, Kagami is always the cause of it.

After Midorima's attempted triple homicide, Takao had noticed that 'Kise' looked as though _he_ was about to commit one as well. The glares of death he sent in Kagami's direction were frightening and he wasn't the one they were directed at. Takao didn't know what caused it, but one thing he knew for sure was that 'Kise' was out for Kagami's head and this lasted three days. Well, it could've been longer.

When the next week came around, all of Shutoku got a crude awakening. In order to fix the sleeping problem, Nakatani had spoken to Riko and she explained what they have been doing. Seeing this as an opportunity for his boys to get stronger as well,Nakatani decided to let Shutoku join Seirin and Kaijou in their morning exercises. Riko didn't mind, nor did her boys.

Monday morning they started, all seemed well with Seirin and Kaijou in the front leading them to where they should go. Takao didn't mind this, as it was simply jogging. However, the moment they got on the beach, all hell broke loose. One moment, Takao saw the two teams jogging lightly ahead of them and the next, everyone dashed off into sprints, shouts echoing into the air.

Following the others, Shutoku dashed off as well, but then they noticed something. Seirin and Kaijou were fast. Extremely fast. And add to that, Nakatani noticed that they wore weights.

 _No wonder Kise, Kuroko and Kagami could've escaped Midorima._ Takao had thought. Since they weren't used to this, Riko had allowed Shutoku a break while the others ran. Once more, it had turned into a vicious competition; at one time, Takao saw that it was Seirin vs. Kaijou, then Kagami vs. 'Kise', then it changed to Senpai vs. Kouhai with Kaijou's Nakamura and Hayakawa in the Kouhai group since they were younger than Kasamatsu, Kobori and Moriyama. Another time, he saw that it changed to 'Kuroko' and 'Kise' vs. everyone else. Watching the two, Takao as well as his other Shutoku teammates were awestruck. Even after all that, they still had more energy left in them to sprint away.

"Since when did those two get so fast?!" Midorima had said. Takao snickered as Midorima's facial expression was classic.

After their morning exercises, they would eat breakfast, Shutoku could hardly move while Seirin and Kaijou seemed like nothing had happened. Takao had a feeling that the rest of this week was going to be hell.

On Tuesday, it was the same routine. But instead of complaining, Shutoku used Seirin and Kaijou as their alarm clock. The moment they heard shuffling, stomping and screeches, they knew it was time to get up. However, their bodies ached and they practically found it hard to move. Takao crawled his way to the door, while he heard Midorima behind grumbling something. But when they reached the breakfast area, they were re-energized by 'Kuroko's' protein punch shake.

This time, just like always, they jogged down to the beach, but, they went into the water. They stopped when the water was waist high, and began doing squats. Takao's legs trembled furiously, the ache from yesterday still present. Looking across Seirin and Kaijou, he saw how they moved like pros. And what's more, the waves kept beating them in their backs, ever so often, he and everyone else, kept losing their balance.

Takao hated this training but there was one highlight of it.

"Midorima-kun, could you please fix your face?" 'Kuroko' had said. "It's unsightly."

Takao wanted to laugh but he fought hard not to, so it ended up being a snicker.

"What?!" Midorima roared. "It is because of you why I'm in this mess!"

"Come on, Midorimacchi," 'Kise' had joined in. "This is good exercise, I'm pretty sure deep down inside you agree."

"You…! My coach had already planned out _our_ training regimen! I couldn't care less what this is!"

"Oi, Midorima, just admit it." Kagami had said. "This is a good workout for your legs. Think about it, the stronger your legs, the better it will be in a match."

"I'm surprised that an idiot like you had a brain." Midorima said as he fixed his glasses.

"What was that you bastard!?" the redhead roared. Takao then saw him lunge for the shooter, but an incoming wave caused him to lose his balance and crash sideways into the salty water. However, his hand managed to grab onto Midorima's shoulder and thus, Kagami brought him down as well.

Takao erupted with laughter, so too did everyone else. Kagami and Midorima had emerged from the water coughing and spluttering, but Shutoku's ace was clearly pissed.

"You scoundrel!" he said as he grabbed the redhead's hair, seeming as though he was about to rip it out. His other hand was fixing his lopsided glasses on his face. "What would you have done if I had lost my glasses!?"

"Ouch! Let go!" Kagami shouted."And how would that be my fault?! You shouldn't be in the sea with glasses on anyway!" He then grabbed Midorima's hair and this started a figurative fist-fight between the two. The three teams laughed, their captains and Coaches just watched as it went down.

"Now, now," Takao heard 'Kise' say. "Let's leave this for when we are on dry land." 'Kise' said as he had made his way towards the two aces. However, the two did not see him and so mistakenly, Kagami's fist crashed into his face, sending him crashing into the water.

"Shit!" Kagami said as he realized what had happened. Takao looked on; the sight was just too funny. He saw 'Kise' splashing around like a dying fish on dry land; he seemed to be drowning.

"Ryou-chan!" he heard 'Kuroko' screamed. He then dived in the water to bring the boy's face above the surface. "Are you alright?!"

After seconds of his coughing fit, 'Kise' finally answered, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry Ku―" Kagami broke off as 'Kise' grabbed his shirt and using him as leverage, he pulled him down into the water. This then sparked a drowning competition, each team seeing how many people they can drown from others.

It was fun, but there was no winner. The three teams had everyone underwater, struggling to get up to the surface.

The Coaches then decided to head back to the guesthouse, Riko saying that she'd cook. As fast as lightning, the boys found strength and dashed out of the water as they wanted to live another day.

On Wednesday, Riko thought that they should get a break, all were glad for that. For once, Shutoku thought that they'd sleep peacefully but Seirin and Kaijou proved to be noisy even in their sleep.

Snores.

They echoed relentlessly, and honestly, none of them could take any more of it.

"Is this a curse or something?" Miyaji had asked.

His teammates had to agree.

On Thursday, they were back to their hellish mornings, but this time they stuck to road runs. They didn't go anywhere near the beach and they were all glad for that. But even so, Kagami, Kise, Kuroko and Midorima in the same place aren't a good combination. Chaos ensued that day, and Takao was sad that he couldn't video it.

On Friday, Seirin and Kaijou played a match against each other, five vs. five, Kuroko and Kise were excluded. It was their idea anyway. The two boys had noticed that there are areas where the players were lacking, so they decided to try and fix that…by changing their positions.

For both teams, Kagami and Hayakawa were the shooting guards, Koganei and Kobori were the point guards, Hyuuga and Kasamatsu were the centres, Kiyoshi and Nakamura were the power forwards and Izuki and Moriyama were the small forwards. When they had got into position for the tip-off, Kuroko, Kise and Riko couldn't help but grin. This would be a fairly interesting match.

Kagami and Hayakawa's threes made it in sometimes, though they were never perfect threes. Koganei and Kobori, in comparison to Izuki and Kasamatsu, their ball handling and play making needs work. Hyuuga and Kasamatsu's defense weren't terrible but their rebounds suck. Kiyoshi and Nakamura were alright, so too was Izuki. Moriyama had trouble shooting from up close, and the two made a note to make sure that he could for Inter-High.

_xxxx_

"Game Over! Ninety-one to Ninety-eight, Seirin!"

Both teams,Shutoku and Seirin walked off the court, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"So far, we're evenly tied with Seirin with four wins."Nakatani said. His eyes then looked over at where the Kaijou regulars were, "but we have yet to win a match against Kaijou."

"Kaijou is terrifying, and what's worse, Kise didn't play in any match." Takao said. "Do you think he's trying to copy our moves?"

"I don't think that's the case." He said quickly. "That boy is a strategist. From what I've seen, he's analyzing us and forming strategies to use against us. Honestly, I'm starting to think that he's more terrifying off the court than on it."

Hearing that, Midorima remembered when they were at the Okonomiyaki restaurant.

"… _you're even more dangerous on the bench than the court."_

He remembered 'Kuroko's' words to 'Kise' and honestly, now he knew what the blue-haired boy meant. He was then taken out of his thoughts when he heard his coach speaking,

"Come this winter, we'll have to be double careful against these two teams."

Outside, Seirin and Kaijou stood facing tall bins filled with ice.

"What is this?" Kuroko asked.

"It's my special icing technique." Riko answered. "It's great for sore muscles and fatigue."

The boys folded their shorts all the way up, Kuroko standing in front of Kise to hide his thighs from Kagami again. After a couple minutes, they then climbed in.

"That's cold!" Koganei shouted as soon as his legs were in the ice.

"We ended up tying with Shutoku in terms of matches won." Izuki said.

"We've gotten so much better!" Koganei said with glee.

"But, you know," Hyuuga then joined in, "Kaijou hasn't lost once."

All eyes then looked at the boys. "This isn't fair! It's because they have Kuroko!" Kagami shouted.

"Yeah, hurry and get back your body!" Tsuchida joined in.

"But Kise is good as well." Kiyoshi said. "What's wrong with him?"

"Thank you Senpai! At least someone other than Tetsucchi appreciates my presence!" Kise whined.

"It's not only that!" Kasamatsu defended. " _We're_ strong as well! Kaijou isn't only Kuroko." His legs were trembling too much though.

"Yeah!" the other Kaijou guys shouted.

_xxxx_

Kagami dribbled a ball outside in the parking lot. A basketball net was there so he felt like playing. No matter how much he tried to take his mind off, he kept remembering his match with Aomine, his one-on-one with Kuroko and their matches against Kaijou. Sure he has gotten stronger, but compared to Aomine and Kuroko, he's nowhere near them.

"Shit," he cursed. "How do I get stronger?" as he was about to dunk the ball, he heard Riko's voice.

"You're working hard."

"Not really. I was just putting this ball away, so I thought I'd practice a little first." He then turned to her, "And I haven't played in any match against Shutoku, all I do is run on the beach with Kaijou. And when I _do_ play, Kuroko doesn't!" he then looked away, "Why did I even come here?"

"You still haven't noticed?" Riko asked.

"Well, Kuroko told me that you wanted to strengthen my legs."

"It is as exactly as Kuroko-kun told you." She said, placing her hands on her waist. "Try jumping."

Without a hitch, Kagami jumped and what was amazing, he managed to touch the area above the hoop.

"You're tired so that's all you can manage right now. Now, try jumping the other way."

"Huh?" Kagami didn't know what she meant by that.

"Jump off your right leg."

"Okay," Kagami said as he ran towards the hoop. When he reached close enough, he jumped using his right leg, and then putting his hand on the backboard to see how high he had jumped.

"You idiot! You hit it too hard!" Riko shouted when she saw both her ace and the hoop crashing down into the hedge. Kagami still ay on his back, surprised at the jump he just produced.

"Do you understand now? Your greatest weapon is your jumping power but you haven't drawn out your full strength. For now work on preparing yourself physically. After that, it's up to you." She then walked off. "Don't forget to stand the hoop back up." After she was out of earshot, she then said to herself, "Maybe I gave him too many hints. Well, he is a bakagami after all."

_My jumping power, a style that utilizes strength…there's only one answer. Aerial combat! That's the only place I stand a chance against the Generation of Miracles!_

_xxxx_

Takao hummed OLDCODEX's catal rhythm as he made his way back to guesthouse from the convenience store. He heard a loud grunt and when he looked in the direction, he saw Kagami jumping, hitting the backboard with his palm. Frightened, he ducked behind the hedge and peered over to see what was going on.

 _Seirin's lady coach and Kagami? What are they doing?_ He thought. _Wait a minute…_ His eyes then trailed upwards to the backboard. _He easily jumped higher than the hoop._ Seeing Riko's lips moving, Takao tuned in to what she was saying.

"You're tired so that's all you can manage right now. Now, try jumping the other way." He heard her say.

 _The other way?_ He himself was lost as to what she meant.

"Jump off your right leg."

_Oh._

Due to him shifting a little, a coin fell out of his pocket so he took it up. "Oops." He said as he reached for it. He was then startled when he heard Kagami and Riko shouting.

"You idiot! You hit it too hard!"

Turning around, he did so just in time to duck away from the falling backboard. His slippers had fallen off his foot so he crawled to retrieve it. However, looking at the backboard, he saw that a new handprint was there…and it was higher. His eyes widen from the shock. However, he regained his composure and decided to head inside to tell Midorima of this discovery. But the moment he was about to stand up, he saw Midorima walk into the parking lot with a can of red bean soup.

Takao knew this was going to be interesting. He remained hidden behind the hedge and decided to watch the two boys.

"Hn?" He heard Midorima say when he looked in Kagami's direction. When the ace's green eyes locked on Kagami, Takao saw Midorima's face changed into one of irritation. He wanted to crack up so much, but he covered his mouth with a hand and kept silent.

He then saw Kagami stand the hoop and asked Midorima, "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I simply went to buy something to drink." Midorima replied.

"A drink?" Kagami asked. He then caught the name of the canned drink in he had. "I'm surprised you can drink that during summer."

"It's cold, you fool."

Takao clutched his abdomen with his other hand. The laughter was just itching to escape his lips.

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Kagami roared.

"I have lost faith in you."

"Where did that come from?"

"Before losing to me, you were destroyed by Aomine."

Takao heard Kagami make a sound, it seemed as though Midorima just ticked him off. "I'll win next time! It won't always be that way!"

Midorima then looked up at the hoop and the handprints. "Hmph. Don't tell me you believe you can fight him in the air."

 _Shin-chan seemed to have hit the nail on the head,_ Takao thought when he didn't hear a response from Kagami.

"Is jumping all you think about, fool?"

"What?!"

"Simply jumping higher will not change the results. That is only half the answer. It is not yet a weapon." Midorima said as he made his way to the ball. He then placed his canned drink beside it and then he took it up. "Come. I'll correct your simplistic thinking."

 _He's not just picking a fight…_ Takao thought in shock. _Half the answer? There's something beyond those ridiculous jumps of his?_

Midorima then threw the ball to the redhead. "We'll play ten tries. You're on offense, I'm on defense. If you score even once, you win."

"What? I don't know what you're thinking, but you really believe that you can stop me ten times in a row? If you're so sure you can stop me then let's see you do it!" Takao flinched when he heard Kagami. He honestly thought that the redhead wanted to chew Midorima's head off.

"Don't worry, I will not lose." He said as he fixed his glasses. "In today's horoscope, my fortune and match up are much better than yours."

They began their match, and the moment Kagami made a drive for the net, Midorima stopped him.

 _I didn't sense much at our last game, but playing one-on-one with this guy…_ Kagami thought.

As if being able to read Kagami's thoughts, Midorima said, "How insulting. Do you really think I could do nothing but shoot threes?"

Watching the match, Takao's mouth opened in amazement. _I know Midorima's defense is amazing but he can stop him this well? But how? There's hardly any difference in their movements. On the ground, they seem equally matched._

He was taken out his thoughts when he saw Kagami made an attempt to break pass Midorima and jumped. When he saw Kagami's arm at the hoop and the ball was about to be dunked in, Midorima knocked it out his hand.

Midorima walked away without a word to the redhead.

 _There it is again, Kagami's jumps should be better. But for some reason, he keeps losing the aerial battle._ Takao thought as he saw Kagami walk towards the ball.

"Damn it." He heard the redhead curse. "One more."

"I am finished." The shooter answered quickly. "No matter how many times we play it will be the same."

"You bastard!"

"Notice already, you fool!" Midorima raised his voice higher than usual. "No matter how high you jump, stopping you is easy because I know you will dunk." He then walked towards the hedge, going to the guesthouse. Takao ducked even more to avoid being seen but this time, it seems like Midorima has acquired hawk-eyes.

"Let's go Takao."

"What? You knew?"

_xxxx_

Kuroko and Kise strolled the way along the path; both were just coming from a walk on the beach. Kise had wanted to stretch his legs, so he decided to drag Kuroko with him. That the blond minded. It had turned out to be an interesting walk, both boys talked about many things ranging from food to fashion to basketball etc.

Kise had been especially chatty, as well, with Shutoku there, he has to be careful not to let Midorima find out about their predicament. But overall, to Kuroko, it seemed that Kise had all this stored up from the earlier times when no one knew that they had switched bodies.

They made it back to the guesthouse; however, when they reached the parking lot, they saw Kagami standing with a ball in his hand. Curious, the two walked over to where the redhead was.

"Kagami-kun, what are you doing?" Kuroko asked.

"Kuroko, Kise." He greeted as he looked up from the ball. "Coach just wanted me to see how high I could jump."

"Really?! I wanted to see too!" Kise said.

Wordlessly, Kagami then pointed a finger at the backboard. "The lower one is when I had jumped off my left leg."

"Then, you jump higher off your right leg?!" Kise asked in shock.

Kagami nodded.

Kise then grinned.

"Tetsucchi, how about a one-on-one with Kagamicchi? You'll be defense though."

Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "At this hour?"

"Oh come on, Kuroko! Maybe I can get my revenge for our match the other day!" Kagami said, he was clearing too happy for his own good. But inwardly, he wanted to see something as well.

With an exhausted sigh, Kuroko replied, "Fine."

Kise then threw the ball to Kagami and immediately redhead charged towards the net. But, as soon as he was about to dunk, the ball was knocked away from his hands. Kise shifted a little to the right to avoid the ball.

"Tsch!" Kagami got the ball and once more continued with their impromptu match. He bounced the ball with right hand before moving off. Going for a drive to his left (but Kuroko's right), he attempted to get pass Kuroko.

Which he didn't.

The moment Kuroko saw him shift to his right (Kagami's left); he knew that the redhead would be attempting a drive.

Kagami then spun on his right foot and dashed around Kuroko and made his way to dunk. But, like before, Kuroko knocked the ball from his hands.

This continued for the rest of the match, Kuroko blocking every single shot Kagami tried to make, the redhead appalled by what was happening, Kise taking mental notes.

When they had reached fifteen, Kise decided to stop them. "Alright, I think we can stop here. Hell's doors open bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Wait!" Kagami said. "Kuroko…how did you…?" He had a theory as to why he lost a second time, but he wanted to hear what Kuroko had to say. "I know you have good defense but…"

"The answer is simple." Kuroko started, "I know you will dunk. Is dunking all you can do? We've been teaching you how to shoot threes, why didn't attempt to do that?" he then looked at the backboard imprinted with Kagami's fingers. "Sure, jumping high is awesome but that's all there is to it. Height. You need to improve something else."

Kagami sighed, he was right. "The truth is I can do a double clutch but that's only when I jump with my left leg and hold the ball in my right hand. If I jump with my right leg, I'll generally hold the ball in my left hand. All I can do with my left hand is dunk."

Kise sighed. "While I was watching, I realized it as well. The reason why Tetsucchi was able to stop you is because you are predictable but most importantly, you can only handle the ball efficiently with your right hand." Kise then continued, "And when I saw that, I realized that your left-hand ball handling is terrible."

"Damn, and I was hoping I can battle aerially."

"Simply jumping higher doesn't make an aerial battle Kagami-kun." Kuroko said with a smile.

"It is the contest between two athlete's airborne options. That's the true battle."

"Yeah, it means I have to strengthen my legs and hips more to improve my left-hand ball handling. I'll become able to move at will in the air!" he said with determination.

"Keep that over-zealous attitude, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said evilly.

"You'll need it." Kise smirked.

Kagami stood there frozen as he had a feeling that those two may just collaborate with Riko to create the most brutal training regimen yet. But then, a jab from Kuroko took out of his thoughts.

"You bastard!" he shouted.

"Let's go. It's dinner time."

The two boys then hurriedly made their way inside; the first thing that greeted them was the aromatic scent of a freshly cooked meal. Since they were already on their feet, the three decided to help serve and thus the food was issued to everyone in due time.

When they had settled, everyone chorused, " _Itadakimasu!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	33. Training Camp V: Final Training

Chapter 33

...

The third week of their camp, their training was intensified...especially Kagami's. The redhead had speculated that after their match in the parking lot, Kuroko and Kise would collude with Riko to give him hell and that's just what happened.

_**Monday** _

Kise was adamant that Kagami should start by doing everything with his left hand. This proved to be extremely difficult for the redhead as Kagami had to brush his teeth and take a bath. Even though Kise and Kuroko weren't in the bath that time, the sounds of laughter and shouts of mockery could tell them that the redhead was struggling to do so.

At breakfast, Kagami almost starved to death. He tried to eat with his left hand but the food kept falling out of the chopsticks. It was hilarious, until Kobori had suggested that he should eat with a spoon. Things were slightly better, but it was clear that Kagami still had a long way to go.

Afterwards, they headed to the gym, and while everyone went into their usual individual regimens, Kagami was left to practice his left-hand ball handling skills with Kasamatsu and Izuki. For the redhead, it was a nightmare, far worse than when he had to practice shooting threes with Hyuuga yelling every second. He wondered how the point guards did it, but more so, he was appalled at the skill that Kuroko has. He hadn't recognized until now, but watching Kuroko, he saw that the boy could do those crazy passes with _both_ hands.

"Oi, Kagami! Listen to me when I talk!" Kasamatsu had shouted, giving him a kick to go with it. "Stop zoning out!"

"Hai!"

When Kise saw the exchange, he laughed out loud, seeing that he hasn't received any of those in a while now. Izuki on the other hand, only chuckled at the sight, but after Riko shouted at them, without hitch, they went back to their training.

After half an hour, Riko decided to let the two teams help out the redhead to see how much they have grown since this camp. The first group she sent was the centres. Since he was training with the point guards, she figured that he must've been able to pick up _something._ After all, Kasamatsu is a nationally strong point guard, and Izuki has his eagle eyes.

When Kagami saw Kiyoshi, Kobori, Mitobe and Fukuda made their way to him, he started sweating bullets. He knew for a fact that Kiyoshi was good since Izuki had called him their ace, and well, Kobori is from Kaijou. The same team that Kuroko had improved beyond Kise's imagination. When the four had assumed their positions, he sighed a relief, as they all didn't surround him. Before him were Kiyoshi and Kobori while behind those two were Mitobe and Fukuda.

Accepting the challenge, Kagami grinned and tried to break pass Kobori and Kiyoshi. However, he was terrible. He got pass the two miraculously, but the ball was left behind.

"Shit!" He had shouted. The entire gym had erupted with laughter, making the redhead blush furiously with embarassment.

 

_**Tuesday** _

Seirin had a match with Shutoku, which Kagami had taken part in. He rejoiced but when Riko told him what he was allowed to do, he frowned. He wasn't allowed to dunk and he was to switch positions with Hyuuga. Which meant, he would've been the shooting guard while Hyuuga was the power forward. Whenever he got the ball and attempted a three, one of two things usually happens – the ball bounces off the rim of the net, or his shot was blocked.

Hyuuga got pissed.

And because of that, that day, he heard more curses than when he was in America.

 

_**Wednesday** _

The three teams (Shutoku included), decided to take a jog on the beach, working on their feet once more, but only jogs and sprints. After lunch, the unthinkable had happened. Even Riko was shocked by it.

Kobori, Kuroko, Kiyoshi and Mitobe had brought the basketball hoops from the parking lot back to the beach. And without a word to anyone, they placed them in the water.

"What are you guys doing?!" She had asked.

"Coach, there's something I want captain to try." Kuroko had answered. He and Kobori held the hoop firm in its place while Kuroko had signalled to Hyuuga.

"Go out with a basketball until the water is at your waist level. Then begin shooting."

Hyuuga paled.

Everyone blanched.

"Are you serious Kuroko?" Furihata had asked.

"Yes. I think that with the waves constantly pushing against Hyuuga-senpai it is an effective way to improve himself when shooting even when he's blocked."

After Kuroko had said that, he saw Riko, Kasamatsu and every face of the shooting guards light up. Without even a second thought, the boys had sprinted to the guesthouse and back, each with basketballs in their hands. They then went out to where Hyuuga was, and began shooting. And with Seirin and Kaijou in one place, trust it to turn into a vicious competition.

After that, Kagami had begged Kuroko to play a simple one-on-one with Kise acting as referee.

 

_**Thursday** _

Everyone was back to improving their individual skills. Kasamatsu continued to help Furihata with his ball-handling and point guarding skills, Izuki and Kise improved on their passing speed, Fukuda, Tsuchida, Mitobe and Kobori worked on their blocks. Moriyama, Hyuuga and Nakamura worked on their shots along with Kagami, Hayakawa and Kiyoshi worked on their rebounds (thanks to Kagami's shots missing ever so often). Kuroko would be off helping Kawahara and Koganei with some dribbling techniques.

After that, Kagami would then train with Moriyama and Hyuuga. He was getting better and better at shooting threes but out of ten shots, four went in. Kuroko would always cheer him up, stating that he was far worse and had seemed like a lost cause at one point in time. But this didn't favour the redhead, as he found out the hard way that a selfish Kise was dangerous and far scarier than Kuroko. That very night, with a knife Kise had almost murdered him in his sleep. _Almost_.

And what does Kuroko do? Laughs at the redhead's misfortune.

 

_**Friday** _

Kaijou had a match between Shutoku which, just like previous matches, ended with Kaijou winning. The Blue Elites had known that Kuroko's observational skills and strategies were frightening, but they couldn't help but still be in awe. And as usual, Kuroko didn't play. As a matter of fact, he didn't see the need to, since he knew that his teammates would take care of the job. But not only that, he wanted to see just how much Shutoku themselves have improved over the course of this camp, and make any necessary adjustments to his previous observations.

 

_**Saturday** _

Saturday was the day that they rested. The week was gruelling but not only that, this day was special. It was June 18.

Kise's birthday.

Going to the plan that they devised the day before, Kuroko was supposed to lure Kise away from the guesthouse until they had finished decorating the room. When they were finished, the room was slightly jammed but Kuroko suggested keeping it indoors.

"Midorima-kun is here, if we should keep it outside, he may see what he should not. And then it may lead to an inquiry as to why Seirin and Kaijou and _Kise_ is singing happy birthday to _Kuroko_ on _Kise's_ birthday." he had said.

When the two boys had returned, it was some time after midday; Kise had been given a surprise. They boy was so happy that tears fell, but they were soon dried up as Seirin and Kaijou began singing happy birthday.

Both of Kise's sisters – Reiko and Ruiko came as well, but that was later in the evening, as according to them _'not even the end of the world could make us miss Ryoucchi's birthday!'_ Everyone was glad for that, especially Kuroko as he didn't want to be the one on the receiving end for the entire day, so at least Kise got his birthday from Seirin and Kaijou while Kuroko went with the flow when his sisters came.

_xxxx_

Finally, it was the last week of the hellish training camp. The teams had rejoiced, but little did they know what Riko had in store for them. When they had made their way to the gym, they saw a familiar man standing with both his hands pushed in his pockets. Seirin started sweating bullets, Kaijou looked indifferent.

"Yo brats," he had started. "I'm Aida Kagetora, and the first thing I want to know is which one of you has seen my daughter in a swimsuit."

No one answered.

"No answer, huh?" A dark aura seemed to have covered his body. He then took out a gun and started loading it after which he released the safety. "If you tell me, I'll make your death quick. Just a shot to the head."

"Aida-san," Kuroko spoke up, he seemed unaffected by the sight of the gun. "None of here has seen Coach in a swimsuit. _We_ would never do something like that." Kuroko had then bowed.

_You're our saviour Kuroko!_ Was the unison thought of both teams. Just then, the door opened and Shutoku entered, and when Nakatani saw Kagetora he groaned.

"Maa boy!" he greeted.

"Don't call me that in front of my students, Tora!"

However, it was too late. Everyone heard the nickname, and within seconds they (especially Shutoku) were cracking up.

"What are you doing here?" he then asked.

"I came here to train these lads on behalf of my daughter." He then smiled deviously. "Who would've thought that you'd be here as well."

And then without hitch, they went into yet another training regimen, Kuroko and Kise now knowing what the others felt whenever they cooked up anything.

Shutoku on the other hand, wondered if they cursed this year. Not only did they lose at the prelim finals to Seirin, but at this training camp, they had to endure all sorts of hell from deprivation of sleep, to near food poisoning, and hellish training regimes.

_xxxx_

Seirin, Kaijou and Shutoku stood in the front yard of the guesthouse in an air of chatter, once more none of the teams believed that this was a coincidence. The two coaches – Riko and Nakatani were at one side, discussing the different methods of training and so forth. The captains – Hyuuga, Kasamatsu and Otsubo were off to another side talking about their teams and also their kouhais.

Beside them were Izuki, Moriyama and Miyaji...their topics ranged. Across from those three were Nakamura, Kiyoshi and Kimura who were beside Tsuchida, Koganei and Mitobe. Kobori and Hayakawa were under the tree and so too were the freshmen trio. Takao sat on the steps. He was in front of the last four – the ones who _should never_ be in close range of each other on any given day.

Kuroko. Kise. Kagami. Midorima.

Sparks started to fly the moment they had come through the door, and since Takao was on the steps, they didn't go into the yard. Midorima and Kagami kept killing each other with their glares, Kuroko and Kise being too blunt actually made things worse.

"Why are we standing here together anyway?" Kagami grumbled.

"You could always walk up to wherever you want to be, fool." Midorima said as he fixed his glasses.

"I didn't ask you anything!"

"Did I say that, fool!?"

"Now, now children, could you please tone it down?" Kuroko asked. "There's no need to be so loud."

"Who are you calling a child?!" The two shouted in unison. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and looked in their direction.

"Kagami Taiga and Midorima Shintarou." Kuroko deadpanned.

"How dare you put me in the same class as this fool! I am far more mature than him! Than even you!"

"Midorimacchi, you _are_ mature but the way you are acting right _now_ , says otherwise."

The green-haired shooter seemed to have burst a blood vessel. "What did you say?" He snarled.

Totally unaffected, Kuroko then said, "Midorimacchi, please be careful. Your glasses might crack."

Takao snickered as he listened to what was going on behind him. _These four are classic!_

Kise was dying on the inside. He wanted to laugh so badly at their antics, and with Takao in front of him laughing his ass off wasn't making it any better.

"Let's go Takao." Midorima then said calmly. He then dragged the point guard away from them, leaving the three behind.

"Come on, Shin-chan," Takao started, "Don't you want to spend the last day of this camp with your former teammates?"

"I don't want to end up with a criminal record." He answered after glaring at the boy. Takao struggled to contain his laughter, so he ended up pretending to cough instead.

"That went well." Kise chirped. Kuroko nodded however, they didn't notice how much Kagami was fuming.

"That bastard..."

"Not you too Kagami-kun." Kuroko said. He jabbed him in his side, causing him to keel over. When he regained his footing, he grabbed Kuroko in his hair and held a fist to his face.

"You little bastard..."

"That hurts Kagami-kun,"

"You're messing up his hair!" Kise screeched. "If you don't let go, I'll chop your hand off!" It was then that Kagami realized something. He'd always done this to Kuroko, but now that he's in Kise's body it felt weird. One, Kise was as tall as he was. Two, it just seemed odd.

The redhead quickly released the blond, and muttered something inaudible.

"Gather 'round everyone!" They then heard Riko shout. The boys then assembled together, standing attentively before her. "Even though this camp is over don't think for a second that training ends! Now is the time that it gets even more intense!" she saw her boys cringe, even Kaijou as well, knew this for a fact. "But, you guys did great this month. I must say that you guys pushed your bodies passed their limits and took up every challenge. I'm proud of you. Both my boys and Kaijou."

"Coach," Hyuuga said, he was at a loss for words.

"Thank you." Kasamatsu said. "And thank you for inviting us."

"This was training camp created by a beautiful goddess! I enjoyed every moment of it!" Moriyama said.

"Can't you say something normal for once?!" both Hyuuga and Kasamatsu roared.

"So the next time we see each other, it'll be Inter-High." Kiyoshi said to Kobori.

"Yeah, good luck." The centre smiled.

"Oi, Kuroko! Don't go losing to anyone before me!" Kagami shouted.

"Of course not, Kagami-kun." He replied. "Same goes for you."

The teams then left the guesthouse, the friendly chatter (argument in Kise, Kuroko, Midorima and Kagami's case) filling the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	34. Inter-High Tournament Begins!

Chapter 34

...

_Every year, the Inter-High Championship is held to determine who the best at high school basketball is. The venue changes annually as well, but the tournament always has a fair turn out of fans the gymnasiums are close to being packed. However, this year, with Teikou's famous Generation of Miracles participating but each for different schools, many expect it to be a tournament that one must not miss._

_Since there are three hundred schools participating, the tournament is thus separated into five rounds before the quarter finals. Which means, before a team can reach the top eight, they must play a total of five matches._

_xxxx_

Finally, it was the day of the Inter-High Tournament. A flood of people could be seen walking in the gymnasium while hundreds more were already seated. Inside, chatter and laughter were rampant in the air due to people conversing, but more so, everyone could clearly see the happiness on the players' faces.

Seirin was no exception. For the Senpai, they were the most excited, as last year; they hadn't managed to get into the leagues. This time, they were determined to make it to the finals…this time; they hoped ― _wished_ that Kaijou would be their opponent then.

For the Blue Elites, they were in the same boat as Seirin. Kasamatsu was almost tearing up, remembering what happened in his second year. Vowing to himself to never let that happen again, he was going to make Kaijou champions…even if it killed him.

"Senpai, there's no need to be so stiff." Kuroko said, placing a hand on the captain's shoulder. "Relax; it's just the opening ceremony."

Kasamatsu sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Good day everyone." The two looked up to see a man, dressed in a suit that had a joyous look on his face speak into the microphone. "Thank you all for turning out today. This year, Inter-High is bound to be a spectacle as…"

"Who's that guy?" Kuroko asked Kasamatsu, totally tuning him out.

"He's the chairman. He's the one who's responsible for getting Inter-High in order."

"Oh." Kuroko then looked around to see if he could spot Seirin. The teams were grouped in their prefecture, and Kanagawa's teams were right beside Tokyo's. However, Kaijou was the first place Kanagawa team, followed by two others. Add to that, Seirin was second in Tokyo…there's no way he'd be able to spot them that easily. Kise, worse.

He then turned his attention back to the stage and the chairman as the audience had riled up.

"And now Inter-High officially begins!"

Colourful lights flashed, and music played. The teams then slowly mobilized off the court, Kaijou walking up to the stands to get a view of the first match since their match wasn't until five o'clock this evening.

_xxxx_

"I can't believe that we're here," Koganei said, still in awe. "We actually made it." He was sitting on one of the benches in their dressing room, leaning his back on his locker.

"Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg." Izuki said.

"Man, I can't wait to play." Kagami said as he spun a basketball on his index.

"Aren't you eager?" Kise joked.

"Of course! I really want to put that Aomine bastard in his place!"

Upon hearing Aomine's name, the temperature seemed to drop.

"You really are a _Bakagami_." Kise chuckled as he rose up off the locker.

"What?! You little ―"

"Kagamicchi, this is Inter-High. Not only is there a chance that we may face Aominecchi, but the other miracles as well. Plus, there are other schools with teams that may give us a hell of a time. Remember Seiho?" Kise paused, letting that question sink in. He then continued. "Did they have a miracle on their team? No, they did not. Did they give us a hard time? Yes they did. So, if we should have it in our heads that Aominecchi is who we should look out for, then we'll be confessing butt-naked."

"Yeah, you're right." Kagami reasoned.

"Plus," Kise continued. "Aominecchi is the least of our problems. The player, no, the team that will drag us into the pits of hell won't be Touou or Yosen or even Rakuzan. I think it will be Kaijou. Tetsucchi is fucking dangerous."

No one said anything after that. They knew that what Kise said was right. They haven't seen Kuroko in an official match as yet, but judging by how Kaijou played against Shutoku at the camp and remembering when Kuroko assisted them in stopping Touou in the leagues, Riko knew that he was a force that they shouldn't take lightly.

"That's right!" Hyuuga shouted, getting pumped up. "Every one of those teams out there is in the top three of their region! With every match, we're going to go out there, put Coach, Kise and Kuroko's training to good use and play like our lives depend on it!" he shouted. "And when we get a match-up against Kaijou, we're going to put our hearts and souls into it!"

"Yeah!" the others chorused.

"Don't forget! Our social and high school lives are at stake!" Kise joined in the shouting. "If we lose, we're going to confess naked! As men, we need to preserve our manliness for that special person! So, let's win this tournament!"

"Yeah!"

"Glad you remember Kise-kun!" Riko smiled. "So you know what you must do! Go out there and show those teams just what we can do!" She shouted. "Seirin FIGHT!"

"YEAH!"

_xxxx_

Kaijou managed to secure seats amidst the crowd, as none of the boys wanted to stand for the whole forty minutes. In one row, there were Matsumoto, Shinohara, Kobori, Nakamura and Hayakawa seated in that order from left to right. In front of them were Moriyama, Kasamatsu, Kuroko and Takeuchi.

"Who are Seirin up against?" Nakamura asked. He was seated behind Kuroko.

"Osaka Prefectural." Kuroko answered.

"They aren't that well known for their basketball, but to make it here means that they've got some power going on for them." Takeuchi said.

"Indeed, but compared to Seirin's offensive power, Osaka doesn't stand a chance once they start their run and gun." Kuroko couldn't help but grin. "This match is Seirin's."

The moment he said that, the two teams then entered the court. The audience went into a frenzy as many persons had heard about the Seirin vs. Touou match. Within a minute or two, the starters were already changed into their jersey and headed out onto the court.

"Wait, Kagami and…" Kasamatsu paused and then looked at Takeuchi. "…'Kuroko' aren't starting?"

"Nope," Kuroko answered. "There really isn't a need for them to."

The two teams then lined up facing each other; Seirin's starters were Hyuuga, Izuki, Kiyoshi, Koganei and Tsuchida. Osaka's starters' build were similar to Seirin's, number Nine was centre and he was a couple centimetres shorter than Kiyoshi but he was just as wide. Their captain was a shooting guard like Hyuuga, but of the videos that Kuroko watched, he's nowhere near Hyuuga's level. Their point guard wore number Six, however, he was abnormally tall; he towered over Izuki but the eagle eyed boy was never intimidated by his presence. Osaka's small forward lived up to his name, he was the shortest of _all_ the players present and wore number Seven, while their power forward has a similar frame to that of Kise's original body. He wore the number Five jersey.

"Let the first match of Round one between Seirin High and Osaka Prefectural High begin!"

"Let's play a good game!" they chorused.

The referee then threw the ball into air, both Kiyoshi and Nine facing for the tip off.

_xxxx_

Izuki passed the ball to Hyuuga who was already waiting by the three point line.

"Nice pass Izuki!" He shouted. He then went to sink a perfect three, and as the ball made it through the net, the buzzer sounded.

Osaka's players looked distraught, and almost automatically their eyes drifted over to Seirin's bench, where Kagami and Kise were seated.

"Game over!" the referee announced. "One hundred and twenty to forty-three, Seirin!"

"Thank you very much!"

Both teams then made their way to their benches, where they took up their belongings and headed off to their dressing rooms. Even up in the audience, Kaijou could feel the happiness radiating from Seirin.

"They're pretty good," Takeuchi started. "And their duo didn't even play. They'll be a threat if we should face them."

" _If_?" Kuroko said. "Coach, you're mistaken right there."

"Those resilient bastards won't go down until they face us." Kasamatsu added with a grin. When Takeuchi looked at his boys, he noticed that they all had a savage grin that he's never seen (except Shinohara and Matsumoto).

_xxxx_

"Yay! We've made it to the second Round!" Koganei cheered.

"Now all we have to do is wait to see who our opponent will be." Tsuchida said.

They were all sitting on the benches, eating honey-soaked lemons. Strangely, the Senpai who played didn't feel _that_ exhausted. Riko noticed this, and made a mental note of this. _Training worked._ She looked at her boys, but then noticed that Kagami and Kise were quiet. When her eyes locked onto the two, she saw Kise happily nibbling on his lemons with a serene smile on his face, while Kagami was beside him, looking a bit peeved and seemed to be grumbling something.

"Kagami-kun, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"He really wants to play." Kise answered for him.

"Kise you bastard!" the redhead barked. He made an attempt to grab his blue hair but Kise swiftly avoided his huge hands.

The entire dressing room erupted in laughter, seeing the two and their antics, reminded them of the training camp. However, they all knew that come later this week, more so next week, it's going to be hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	35. Inter-High Tournament: Kaijou vs. Touou: First Half

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Hayakawa's speech, R's are replaced by L's and the reverse. That's how he speaks in the manga.

Chapter 35

...

_After Seirin's first match in Round one, Kaijou played theirs later that day. And just like their friends from Tokyo, they advanced to the second round._

_For Round two, Seirin faced Yamamura Gakuen High. Yet again, Kagami and Kise didn't play but they still won the match 100 – 70._

_For Kaijou, they played Senshinkan but they managed to demolish them 143 – 68 without Kuroko having to step foot on the court._

_Round three, the teams got a little tougher; Seirin faced Fukuoka Daiichi High, whose defense was extremely good. Subbing out Koganei for Kise, Fukuoka's defense didn't stand a chance once Izuki and Kise teamed up. They beat them solidly 102 – 82._

_Kaijou faced East Maizuru High who was second behind Rakuzan. This team had a fair balance of defense and offense, but Kuroko's analysis laid bare all their weaknesses and so, Kaijou went on to crush them 110 – 76._

_Round four, Seirin faced Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High, where Kagami was subbed in for Tsuchida. Kyoto Gaidai specializes in offense like Seirin but, once the team from Tokyo got into their rhythm, especially with Kagami on the court, they didn't stand a chance. Seirin won, 104 – 80._

_Kaijou was the same. They faced Nanamiya High, an offensive team. However, Kuroko had cooked up a strategy against them, and once more it led Kaijou to victory. They beat them, 112 – 83._

_Round five, the last and final round before quarter-finals, Seirin faced Yanagi High, and defeated them 100 – 89._

_Kaijou faced Amagiri High and also defeated them 102 – 82._

_And thus, Seirin and Kaijou booked their spot in the quarter-finals._

_xxxx_

"Gather 'round everyone!" Takeuchi's deep voice echoed throughout the gym. The boys quickly assembled before him,awaiting his announcement. "Good job making it through to the quarter-finals. Kise," he said as he looked at Kuroko. "Your days on the bench are now over. Our opponents from here on out are extremely tough."

Kuroko nodded. _He didn't need to tell me that though._

"I have the quarter-final match-up here with me." He waved a bunch of papers in his hands. He then gave each boy one, and the moment Kuroko's eyes landed on the paper, they widen with shock upon seeing the names of the two schools he's affiliated with.

_Quarter-final 2: Kaijou vs. Touou 14:00, Tuesday_

_Quarter-final 4: Seirin vs. Yosen 16:00, Tuesday_

He didn't care about quarter-finals one and three; they weren't any of his business. But looking at the paper once again, Kuroko's hands started trembling. The paper fell to the floor and the moment he bent to take it up; his knees gave way as well.

"What?" he asked himself. "I'm nervous?"

Kasamatsu and Moriyama didn't miss this. Wordlessly, the two helped the boy onto his feet and patted his back.

"Don't worry, we all get nervous." Moriyama smiled.

"Yeah, just shake it off. You've got us remember?" Kasamatsu said.

"Thanks Senpai."

"Kise, are you feeling alright?" Takeuchi then asked when Kuroko stood on his own.

"Yes Sir, I was just a bit shocked that's all."

"Alright. There will no practice today! Instead, we'll be heading to the clubroom to analyze Touou." When he said this, he glanced into Kuroko's direction for a second and then looked to the other boys. The boys then quickly mobilized out of the gym and into the locker rooms to change. Afterwards, they headed up to the clubroom where their coach was waiting.

When they were all seated, Takeuchi put in one DVD. This one was the match against Seirin in the leagues. For the others who hadn't gone with Kuroko and Kasamatsu, as the match reached the final quarter, the two could hear the others' breaths hitched. Takeuchi didn't look that fazed, it seems that he watched it prior.

The match ended, and he stopped the play.

"Holy shit," Matsumoto said. "Seirin and Touou…just what are they?"

"Seirin's captain and that number eleven…" Shinohara couldn't finish his sentence. "Wait, isn't he the one who taught Kasamatsu-senpai how to pass?!"

"Yes, that's Kuroko." Kasamatsu nodded. Meanwhile Kuroko sighed. Since he was present at that match, he already knew some of Touou's tricks. So before Takeuchi could start, he took a white-board marker and started writing. They were too deep into their discussion about the match to realize that he was writing and well, he didn't mind either way.

"Ano," he started. "This is what I've gathered from that match alone."

Everyone stopped and looked at the board. Once more, they were slack-jawed at 'Kise's' analytical abilities. Takeuchi's eyes bulged at the board; to the extreme left, there were the players' numbers and beside that were their positions. Continuing, there were their strengths and weaknesses, moves that they are most likely to execute and lastly, how they can be stopped.

"Kise…" the coach started but ended up trailing off.

"We need to watch as much matches as possible if we are to win against them. This information alone will not suffice. And plus," he continued, "They have a manager that will do the same to us. And what's more, she'll predict what we'll do in certain situations."

"That's not good at all for them." Kobori smiled.

"Yep, because we're unorthodox." Nakamura grinned.

_xxxx_

Seirin sat in their clubroom, looking at the DVD screen. From the Teikou matches they had watched at Kuroko's house, they already knew what Murasakibara was capable of. But seeing him in high school nearly made Koganei shit his pants.

"If he doesn't move from the net, then Yosen would be impossible to counter." Tsuchida said. "At least with Midorima we could get by with a fast break but this…"

"Not only that, the other guys are huge as well. It's almost as though we're going up against Titans." Koganei said.

"The only thing that I can think of is to force him away from the net but…" Kise started.

"But what?" Hyuuga asked.

"We'd have to get him angry. And in matches that incur his wrath, he scored a record of one hundred points. In that one match."

Seirin blanched.

"Which means we'd have to use our speed to our advantage." Izuki suggested.

"No, Murasakibaracchi is fast as well; add to that, his abnormally long legs." Kise said.

"Shit." Kagami swore. "And he's not the only one we should be weary of. Their captain is huge!"

They were in a pinch indeed. As a last resort, Kise took out his phone and texted Kuroko. He was the only one he knew that may have an idea of how to get some points off Murasakibara. The moment he locked the screen, a message came in.

_Re: Yosen._

_This is from my knowledge of Teikou. For one, you could always try the Phantom Shot. He can't block what he can't see._

_Secondly, I'm not sure how this will work, I'd have to watch a recent match to help more. This would utilize Iz-senpai. Someway, you have get Mura-kun to jump but in that instance, Iz-senpai would have to pass the ball aerially backwards to someone. Mura-kun can't stop that shot if he's already jumping._

Kise chuckled, seeing that Kuroko shortened Izuki and Murasakibara's name in the message. He then quickly replied to that message. He wasn't quite clear how Izuki would make that aerial pass. Once more, a message came in record time.

_Re: Yosen_

_It's almost similar to how setters pass the ball to the spikers in volleyball._

Kise's face lit up as he rose to his feet with a big grin. "Coach!" he shouted.

"Kise-kun? What's the matter?"

"Tetsucchi knows how to breach the Shield of Aegis!" he chirped. He then showed her the text message and immediately she grinned. Hyuuga then took the phone and read as well, but the moment he grinned, he deflated.

"How are we going to get a video to Kuroko? He's all the way in Kanagawa."

Kise smirked. "Leave that to me Captain."

_xxxx_

Inter-High Quarter-final two: Kaijou vs. Touou.

"Oh man!" Hayakawa shouted in excitement. "I'm so excited, oh man!" he then went into his speed talking. "I'm arr filed up! Plactice is gonna pay off now! I wirr go furr powel, count on me!"

_(I'm all fired up! Practice is gonna pay off. I will go full power count on me!)_

"Huh, what?" Kasamatsu asked. But Kuroko as usual, didn't understand a thing he said.

"Rike I said, I wirr go furr powel!" he ended up close to Kasamatsu's face so the captain punched him over.

_(Like I said, I will go full power)_

"You're too close!" he shouted. "You're crowding me, you're talking too fast to make any sense and I don't have any idea of what you're saying, you idiot!"

"Only Hayakawa-senpai." Kuroko sighed.

"Solly, but I ―"

"Hey Moriyama, do something about this idiot!"

Moriyama was in the corner of the room, doing some stretches with his back turned to them. "Actually, Kasamatsu," the shooting guard started. "Third row on the west side way on the end…" he said as he dropped his hands to his sides. He then turned to face Kasamatsu. "Did you see them? They're here."

Kasamatsu and Kuroko exchanged glances at this, it seemed as though it was something important.

"A super cute girl." He said with a smile. "I'm going to play for her today."

"Play for us, you moron!"

Kuroko shook his head; he knew he should've expected this. Just then, the door opened and Takeuchi entered. He was dressed in a suit, and casually had both his hands in his pockets. His face was well shaven, as well.

"Hey, you guys ready to go?" he asked. "It's almost time to get out there." His face shone and then he said, "give it everything you have."

 _Why are you trying to compete with the handsome Touou coach old man?_ Kasamatsu thought. When the boys saw their coach, they snickered, trying their utmost best not to laugh out loud.

"Our game plan will be what we discussed. Stay focused."

"Coach, I think your tie is too close to your neck." Kuroko started. "If you faint from oxygen deprivation, then ―" he broke off when Kasamatsu covered his mouth. The locker room erupted in laughter, Takeuchi shook his head, he was used to 'Kise's' bluntness by now. But he loosened the necktie anyway.

Kasamatsu then released the blond. "Come get me five minutes before we start."

"Okay."

He then walked away, heading through the door.

"Even he gets nervous, huh?" Kuroko said.

"Well, that's not all it is." Takeuchi answered.

"Huh?"

After a couple more minutes, Kuroko left the dressing room to call Kasamatsu. He walked the hallway until he saw the captain sitting on the bench.

"Senpai, five more minutes."

"Okay." He replied.

"You've been doing that a lot since Inter-High started. Are you alright?"

"At last year's Inter-High, we were strong enough to take the championship. Can you guess what happened?"

"You lost unexpectedly?"

"It was my fault. With a one point difference, I missed a pass and let them take the game. My senior's tears, their criticism. I even thought about quitting but the coach made me captain and said 'that's why I should do it'. That was when I decided. I don't think I can make up for what I did. I don't expect to be saved. But I'll still win Inter-High. That's my responsibility and raison d'être as a captain."

"Hmm…" Kuroko hummed. "People make mistakes and such. I'll save you Senpai. Just like how I'll save Aomine-kun in this match and Ryou-kun will save Murasakibara-kun in their quarter-final."

"What?"

"We'll win Inter-High. That's my raison d'être as your ace…your light."

Kasamatsu made a small chuckle. "I see."

The two then made their way back to the locker room.

_xxxx_

The Touou locker room was in a totally different mood than Kaijou. Aomine had yet to arrive, and even though Momoi tried calling his cell, it only rang.

"Well, Momoi did you get in touch with him?" Imayoshi asked.

"He won't answer." She replied.

Wakamatsu was fuming. It seemed as though he would've bust a blood vessel by now.

"I can't believe how relaxed Aomine is." Imayoshi sighed.

"We don't need that guy!" Wakamatsu said, rising to his feet. "He's been late to every game! Even when he shows up, he doesn't always play! I'm sure he'll be late again today!"

"We'll be in trouble if he doesn't show up today." Harasawa said coolly. "They're not so weak that we can beat them without him starting."

"hey." The door opened, revealing Aomine, dripping with sweat. "Did you say something?"

"Looks like you've already warmed up." Harasawa said.

"I thought you guys might have some trouble without me today." He drawled.

"Don't make me worry every time!" Momoi said.

"We're going up against Kise. There's no way I'd be late. I've been looking forward to playing against him for a long time. It's worse now ever since I played Tetsu the other day." Momoi eyes widen when she saw his face. "He's one of the few guys I can crush as hard as I can."

_xxxx_

Seirin made their way to seats leisurely. The gymnasium was noisy and almost packed as more people kept pouring in. They were excited to see this match, two members of Teikou's famous Generation of Miracles go head to head.

"Kise, why do have that on?" Furihata asked. The former blond had on his Kaijou jersey jacket which was far too large for his current body.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kise smiled. "I'm cheering them on! Plus, I don't know when I'll ever be able to wear this again as Kise Ryouta and not Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Oh."

"Kise, who do you think will win?" Kagami asked.

"Kaijou obviously." He answered. "Not because they're my school, but because I know that they have the capabilities to."

"But if you were in your body, how do you think you would've done?" Riko then asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Aominecchi is the one who inspired me to play basketball. We had one-on-ones a lot in the past but I never beat him once."

"Really?!" they screeched.

"Then how will Kuroko-kun manage?!" Riko started fretting for her youngest player.

Kagami chuckled. "Kise created a monster."

"Exactly Kagamicchi." Then the teams came out onto the court, and changed into their jerseys. The Kaijou guys high-fived the ones on the bench before making their way onto the court.

On the court, Aomine walked over to Kuroko with a smirk on his face.

"You seem fired up, Kise." He greeted.

"I won't lose, Aominecchi."

"What? You're awfully confident. Have ever even beaten me before?"

"Look who's talking about being awfully confident." Kuroko smirked. "The saying goes, there's a first time for everything."

"Heeh?"

Away from those two, Kasamatsu and Imayoshi were shaking hands. "Good luck." They said. The teams then regrouped with each other, Imayoshi looking back at Kasamatsu. _He's got presence._ He thought. _I wouldn't expect less from such a strong team's captain._

【 _Let the second quarter-final between Kaijou and Touou Gakuen begin!_ 】

The crowd erupted in cheers as the referee threw the ball into the air for the tip off, Kobori and Wakamatsu facing off.

In the crowd, Kise couldn't help but smirk as he leaned forwards. "This will be match to remember."

_xxxx_

Kobori managed to get the ball to Kasamatsu who was facing off against Imayoshi. He bounced the ball three times and then chest passed it to Kuroko. The blond caught it with ease, but Aomine blocked his path. Kuroko then shifted his right but instead, he broke pass Aomine on his left. However, the moment he did so, Aomine knocked the ball from behind, causing it to bounce away into Imayoshi's hands.

"You're just as weak as you've always been." Aomine said. "You thought you got pass me with that?"

Kuroko didn't say anything. This was a part of the plan anyway.

Imayoshi bounced the ball until he reached Kaijou's net. He then passed the ball to Wakamatsu but Kobori blocked him from shooting.

 _Number eight…_ He thought, _this guy's better at defense than he looks. In that case…_ He then passed the ball to Sakurai who was waiting. Moriyama ran up to him to try and stop him, but as usual, the boy's release was quick.

 _What a quick release!_ Moriyama thought. _Kuroko was right._

Touou then went to defend their net while Hayakawa retrieved the ball. The power forward the passed the ball to Kasamatsu while the others ran off to their markers. When they were all in position, Kasamatsu then passed the ball back to Kuroko who immediately went into shooting form for the Phantom Shot. When Aomine saw this, he had an inkling of what would happen if he didn't move.

He made an attempt to steal the ball, but the moment he moved, Kuroko bounced the ball through his legs where Kasamatsu was waiting. He then redirected it to Moriyama, who landed a three.

"Defense! Let's stop them!" Kasamatsu said.

"Yeah!" they chorused.

Kuroko made his way back as well, so far so good. Once more, the players got into position. By the free throw circle, Moriyama was blocking Sakurai and Kobori blocked Wakamatsu. Kuroko blocked Aomine who had the ball. The two were by the centre circle.

"You've started to think like Tetsu." Aomine said.

"So what?" Kuroko replied.

"Did you have a change of heart after losing to him? You're putting me sleep."

"Well, I don't stop you from sleeping, Aomine-kun." He deadpanned. "Your bench is over there." He then smirked. When Aomine realized, he noticed that 'Kise's' defense was good.

Aomine bounced the ball continuously, and then switched his hands. In that moment, he threw the ball seeming as though it was a pass, but he caught it back in time to pass Kuroko. When the blond shifted to his left to block Aomine, in the space of a split second, Aomine switched yet again and passed by.

That didn't faze Kuroko. Quickly, Kuroko moved in front of Aomine, stopping him in his tracks. Aomine was surprised a little but then he made a step backwards and shot the ball. It was his formless shot.

Aomine missed the smirk on Kuroko's face.

The moment he shot the ball, after a second, Kuroko jumped and caught it, leaving everyone except Kaijou shocked.

"Seriously?" Kagami said.

"He completely stopped Aomine!" Furihata said.

"And here I thought that Kuroko wouldn't be able to face Aomine one-on-one!" Tsuchida said.

Kise shook his head.

Back on the court, Imayoshi looked at Kaijou. _I'm impressed. That's the first time I've seen anyone stopped Aomine in a one-on-one._ Imayoshi thought.

Kuroko was returning while Aomine wiped off his sweat. "I didn't actually think you'd stop me."

"Hn." Was all Kuroko said before walking off without even looking at Aomine. Aomine looked at the blond in surprise, he knew that Kise is usually chatty but this 'Kise' seemed a little different.

The game resumed, Kasamatsu had the ball but he was unable to pass it to anyone due to Touou's tough defense. Moriyama then broke pass Sakurai and Kasamatsu called out to him.

 _We won't fall for that!_ Imayoshi thought with a smile. _You're going to fake a pass and go for the drive!_

The moment Kasamatsu did that, Imayoshi was there to block him, Kasamatsu made a turnaround but Imayoshi knew what was coming next.

"A fadeaway jump." He said. But this didn't faze Kaijou's captain. He jumped anyway, leaving Imayoshi stunned. Kasamatsu then shot the ball, Imayoshi's fingers managed to graze it.

"Rebound!" he shouted. Hayakawa was ready and waiting, and against Susa and Wakamatsu, the power forward got the rebound and without hitch passed it to Moriyama. Doing what he does best, he sank the ball, earning another three points for Kaijou.

The game progressed, the two teams going at it. For Kaijou, they mostly used Moriyama and Kasamatsu to make shots, as they wanted to always the maximum points. Kuroko hardly did anything, as he was keeping Aomine at bay, blocking him so tightly, that no one tried to pass the ball to him. But also, while doing that, he kept an eye out for the others, analyzing them as they went along.

After a while, the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the first quarter. Kaijou was at eighteen, Touou on thirteen.

Up in the audience, Seirin were completely astounded.

"Kaijou completely took the first quarter." Riko started.

"Aomine's not holding back again, is he?" Kagami asked.

"No, as the game goes on, Aomine tends to get stronger." Kise said. "By the fourth quarter, we're going to see the monsters."

"Kaijou's in the lead, I'm honestly surprised." Hyuuga said.

"Yeah," Izuki said.

"Can I ask you something?" Kiyoshi asked. "How did you guys beat Kaijou?"

"Umm…"

"With spirit?" Kagami said.

"Kuroko aside, the other four are extremely good."

Kise laughed. "To be honest, you beat us because we underestimated you guys. It was our own fault. Me included."

On the Kaijou bench, the boys rehydrated themselves. Kuroko drank a mouthful of water as Takeuchi talked.

"Good job everyone! Kise you're doing good too."

"But, he was right." Moriyama said. "They know all our movements and such."

"But we know theirs." Kuroko said. "Come this quarter, we'll switch markers. Everyone knows what to do right?"

They nodded.

"Right, let's continue with our plan." Takeuchi said.

The buzzer then sounded, the second quarter started as both teams made their way back onto the court.

"Ret's do it! Ret's get those lebounds!" Hayakawa shouted as he slapped his cheeks. "I'm leady to go! Yeah!"

_(Let's do it! Let's get those rebounds. I'm ready to go.)_

"That guy won't shut up." Wakamatsu said to Susa.

"You're always pretty loud too." Imayoshi said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What?"

"You're quite similar." Susa said.

"Well," Imayoshi began. "It's no fun watching your opponents celebrate." He held the ball in his hands. "Let's take it slow shall we?" he smirked.

The game started, Imayoshi had the ball bouncing. He and Kasamatsu were by the centre circle. He then passed it Sakurai who then passed to Susa. He then passed it back to Imayoshi, who went into a stance to shoot a three. Moriyama came up to block him but in that instance, he passed to Wakamatsu who was behind. He then made the shot.

"Let's get them back!" Kasamatsu said as he bounced the ball. Imayoshi came upon Kasamatsu before he could go to his new marker, but he didn't mind.

"I know you're fast so I'm not letting you go." Imayoshi said.

Kasamatsu couldn't help but smile. _You have no idea how fast we really can be._ He then passed the ball to Kuroko but when the blond saw Aomine's face, he knew he was in for a warm time.

Kuroko stepped back as the pressure reached him, his arms and legs started to shake. Inhaling and exhaling, Kuroko quickly regained his composure, and assessed Aomine. He was his former light, so he knows that his speed and agility are otherworldly. If he tried to make a three, the ball would be knocked from his hands.

Kuroko then looked around and saw where Kaijou's players were positioned. It was only the second quarter, so they couldn't break _it_ out as yet. Kuroko sighed. Seeing the action, Aomine was confused wondering why 'Kise' would sigh in the midst of a match.

Then, Kuroko made a right to left crossover, and seemed to have made a drive to pass Aomine. The power forward blocked him but that was the least of his problems. Kobori then ran up to the two and created a screen, allowing Kuroko to escape. He then sped down the court, but Aomine had quickly broke pass Kobori and followed Kuroko. The moment they passed Moriyama, Aomine was already in front of him, but Kuroko couldn't help but smile.

He passed the ball behind his back to the shooting guard who caught with ease. Going into his irregular shooting form, he then shot the ball.

Wakamatsu then retrieved the ball, and passed it to Imayoshi. The point guard bounced the ball until he reached the centre circle, and then he passed it Aomine. Kuroko was ready to block the ace, but swiftly, Aomine dashed away from Kuroko, the blond chasing after him. But when they reached into the free throw circle, he stopped when Kobori blocked him.

"No foul, Kobori!" Kasamatsu shouted upon realizing what would happen. But it was too late. The centre bumped into Aomine, but that was the very least. Aomine still made the shot.

"Basket counts! One free throw!" the referee announced.

"Shit." Kuroko mumbled, placing his thumb in his mouth. The audience erupted, more so, Touou's supporters.

"Sorry," Kobori said to Kasamatsu. He looked sad as well.

"Don't worry about it. Get ready for the next play." Kasamatsu cheered him up. Kuroko then walked over to them with Moriyama and Hayakawa, and then he high-fived Kobori.

"Good block, Kobori-senpai." Kuroko said. "It's only sad that he made the shot."

Aomine then made his free throw, raising Touou's points to eighteen.

Kobori then grabbed the ball and passed it to Kasamatsu who then passed it to Kuroko. As soon as he got the ball, Aomine reached in front of him.

"You still don't get it." Imayoshi said to Kasamatsu. "Your Kise-kun is good at copying people but that's it. It's the biggest reason Kise-kun can't win. He doesn't have his own weapon."

Kasamatsu laughed out loud and shook his head. Remembering the camp, Kasamatsu knows that for a fact, but because he's in Kuroko's body, he's seen instances where Kise is completely original. And then there's Kuroko. Not only is he original to the point of being unpredictable, he's a hard worker.

"You have no idea who he is." Kasamatsu said. "Sure Kise copies people but that's the least." Kasamatsu then looked at Kuroko. "His weapons are far lethal than anyone could think of."

"Huh?"

The moment he said this, he saw Kuroko inhale and then exhale. Kuroko then shifted to the left and then to right, and then when he reached on his left again, he made a drive to the basket. The ball was in his right hand, so the moment he brought it down; he passed it behind him to Moriyama who ran pass.

Aomine was surprised. In this moment of distraction, Kuroko slipped pass to retrieve the ball from Moriyama. He continued towards the net, while Moriyama got into position. However, Aomine caught him back quickly, and since Aomine was behind him, he stopped and passed the ball through their legs into Kobori's waiting arms. The centre then passed it to Moriyama who sank a three.

Everyone except Kaijou was surprised. Up in the audience, Seirin gasped in shock.

"A pass between two pairs of feet?! How is that possible!?" Kagami shouted. "He doesn't even have Izuki-senpai's eagle eyes to do that!"

"He's Tetsucchi, remember?" Kise said. "A passing specialist. I don't think there's a pass that Tetsucchi cannot do."

"You knew he could do that?" Hyuuga asked.

"Nope, it's the first I'm seeing something like that."

The crowd roused up again, seeing Aomine with the ball, but the strange thing was that, 'Kise' was nowhere near him. Kobori blocked his path, but that was when Kuroko jogged towards him. He stood behind the ace, but Aomine didn't mind.

"Double teaming me?" he said. "Have you lost your mind, Kise? This can't ―" he broke off when he felt the weight of the ball disappear from him hand.

Kasamatsu.

Because Kobori and 'Kise' were blocking his view, Kasamatsu was able to steal the ball without him realizing. Quickly, the captain did a baseball pass to Hayakawa who then passed the ball to Moriyama. Once more, the shooting guard landed a perfect three. Every time he made his shot; he looked to the west side, hoping that the 'super cute girl' he saw was watching him being awesome.

"Nice Senpai!" Kuroko said when they were heading back.

"Of course, _she's_ watching." He said proudly.

"Kuroko, aren't you going to call for a time-out?" Kobori asked. He knows that around this time, Kuroko usually does that, so he thought this was another case.

"Not this time, Kobori-senpai. But…" he trailed off. "…you'll hear everything at half-time."

The two teams continued their bout, shots were being made; Moriyama and Kasamatsu sunk threes often, Kuroko making layups and dunking occasionally. Kobori kept up his good defense, Hayakawa awaiting rebounds.

For Touou, Aomine mostly had the ball, so he made most of the shots. Imayoshi constantly blocked Kasamatsu; Sakurai was blocked tightly by Kobori so he couldn't make his threes. Susa had Moriyama while Wakamatsu had no marker.

The game went on like that until the end of the second quarter, Kaijou on 34 while Touou was on 30.

【 _The second quarter is over. There is a ten minute intermission._ 】

The two teams made their way to their changing rooms, and without hitch, Kuroko started.

"So far, everything is going fine. But if we don't prepare ourselves, we're screwed." He said. Everyone nodded. "We can take this up a notch. For this quarter, Kasamatsu-senpai and I will get the ball around. Steals and fast passes. Moriyama-senpai, get ready to sink as much threes as possible, Hayakawa-senpai we're counting on you for rebounds."

"Yeah!"

"In the middle of the third quarter, we'll increase our speed, but what is more, I'll try to copy Aomine-kun." Of course, the regulars know this isn't completely impossible.

"Can you do that Kise?" Takeuchi asked.

"Not fully. But their manager is going to predict this. However, I may be able to copy _some_ things from Aomine-kun, that's why at that time, Kasamatsu-senpai, you should be close to me. Hayakawa-senpai, be ready under the net because I'm pretty sure that my copied shots won't go in. Also, Kobori-senpai, you'll be subbed out for Nakamura-senpai."

"I got it." Kobori nodded.

"Sure." Nakamura responded.

"But how long will it take to copy his moves?" Shinohara asked.

"I already have some of it down." Kuroko answered. "For the ones that he'll bring out, maybe until the fourth quarter."

"Shit," Matsumoto said.

"Don't worry, if everything goes according to plan, we'll win this." Kuroko said with determination. "I'll make sure of it." He then got up and asked, "Can I go outside for a bit?"

"Yeah, just come back soon."

_xxxx_

Kuroko leaned on the railing, enjoying the cool breeze. He wanted to clear his head to remember all that Kise had taught him about Aomine. Strangely, he doesn't feel nervous anymore, and actually he couldn't wait to get back into the game. _If everything goes to plan, then we'll win._ He thought with a smile.

"Aren't you happy?" he heard a voice say.

"Of course," he answered. He knew the voice anywhere. "Why wouldn't I be Ryou-kun?"

Kise shrugged his shoulders. Kuroko then asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

"We went to buy drinks but I lost the others and they lost me, so I just wandered until I ended up out here."

"Oh." Kuroko noticed the oversized jacket but said nothing. It was _his_ anyway.

Kise then smirked. "I'm glad I did."

"Really?"

"I take it that the second half is going to be a lot more intense than the first?" Kise went closer to Kuroko and leaned on the railing beside him.

"Yes, after all, we have yet to increase our speed. Kasamatsu-senpai and I have yet to do our combo and such. Plus, my plan is only beginning." Kuroko smiled. "But even if a wrench is thrown, I can work around it."

"Exactly," Kise nodded. "As long as you don't give up anything could happen."

"I'll do my best," he then chuckled.

"What is it?"

"I'm realizing that my body is short."

"Tsch, just by talking to you, my neck hurts." Kise countered with a pout. Kuroko then bent his knees so that he'll be on Kise's level.

"Is that better?" he asked.

He didn't receive an answer, instead; he felt Kise's lips on his lips. Being unable to keep his balance, Kuroko pulled Kise into an embrace and then stood up, still holding the shorter boy firm. Kise then snaked his arms around Kuroko's neck and upon realizing that he was tipping, Kuroko pulled Kise upwards and off the ground. He then placed him on the railing to sit, all while not breaking the kiss. The two seemed to be lost in their own world, not even caring if people spot them. Luckily, none did.

Just then, they heard a ringtone, which caused them to stop. Both blushed furiously, Kuroko turning away his head while Kise fished his pocket for the phone. When he saw the caller I.D, he swore.

"It's Coach," he said.

"Yeah, I probably have to get back too." Kuroko smiled. Kise then took a few steps and then Kuroko said, "I'll definitely win this match."

The shorter boy then spun on his heel and dashed to Kuroko, grabbing his shirt and pulling him downwards, giving him a quick kiss on his lips. "You better." He purred.

Hearing Kise's voice like that, Kuroko got goosebumps. The former blond then dashed off, hoping to avoid the wrath of Riko. Kuroko then followed, remembering that he had a match to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	36. Kaijou vs. Touou: Second Half

Chapter 36

...

The buzzer sounded, starting the third quarter of the game. Imayoshi passed the ball to Sakurai but the moment he got the ball, Kobori was up on him. _There's even more pressure now than in the first half. The intensity's amazing!_ Sakurai thought. In the midst of his thought, he hadn't noticed Kasamatsu coming in for a steal. The ball was knocked from his hands, Kasamatsu then passing it to Kuroko, who had dashed away from Aomine.

Imayoshi came to block him. "No you don't!" he shouted.

Not wanting to forget, Kuroko mumbled to himself, "Right to left crossover…" he bounced the ball to his left while turning in the opposite direction. Seeing this, Imayoshi was left frozen, so Kuroko was able to grab the ball and pass him.

 _Could this be Aomine's…_ Imayoshi thought. Meanwhile, Aomine stood in absolute shock at what was going on. Without thinking, Imayoshi ended up fouling Kuroko.

"Foul! Holding! Black No. 4!"

"Nice foul, cap―!" Wakamatsu said to Imayoshi.

"Wakamatsu," Imayoshi said, interrupting the blond. "Do you remember the day Aomine joined?"

"What?"

"I thought he seemed promising and at the same time, when I imagined playing against him I got goosebumps." Wakamatsu couldn't say anything. "This isn't good, I've got goosebumps."

The game continued, Kuroko ran with the ball with Wakamatsu trailing him. Kuroko then stopped and bounced the ball high enough for it to be at Wakamatsu's cheek. Kuroko dropped his hands at his sides, then, before Wakamatsu could do anything, Kasamatsu quickly took the ball, and thundered down towards the net, where he then passed the ball to Moriyama.

"This is for my goddess in the crowd!" he said as he made his shot. It went in perfectly. Kuroko high-fived them and then went back to defend.

Touou were not amused. Neither was Aomine. The moment Imayoshi passed the ball to him, he blew pass Kuroko with such speed that it left the boy appalled. It was then that Kuroko realized, they can't wait until the middle of the third quarter.

He regrouped with the others and then told them of his plan. "We'll have to change plans a little bit. I'll be copying Aomine sometimes so keep an eye out so you can get into position."

"Sure."

The game restarted, Touou had the ball. Susa had the ball until he reached the free throw circle in their half. He then passed to Wakamatsu who then passed to Imayoshi who was at the centre circle. But the ball never reached. Kasamatsu stole the ball and bounced it to Kuroko.

The blond then sped down the court, Wakamatsu decided to tail him. By the time they reached the corner, Wakamatsu had blocked Kuroko but that didn't stop him. He dribbled the ball quickly, causing the centre to be unable to keep his centre of gravity. He then jumped off, holding the ball in his right hand. He made eye contact with Hayakawa for a split second, so the boy knew that he should be prepared.

 _Is this Aomine-san's again?_ Sakurai thought with shock. He remembered when Aomine had done it against Kagami in the leagues.

Not wanting him to get the points, Wakamatsu jumped to block the shot, but ended up crashing into Kuroko. The referee blew the whistle.

"Pushing! Black No. 6! Free throw, two shots!"

The crowd erupted.

"Kuroko's amazing!" Koganei said. "Holy Shit! He's almost like Aomine!"

"No, it's not perfect yet." Riko said. "Only doing it when people besides Aomine come to guard him proves it."

"The thing is Tetsucchi can't copy like I do. I simply taught him how to do it; there are many things that he'll never perfect, simply because this isn't his forte. But, miracles happen on the court." Kise smiled. "And this time, there's no exception."

Kuroko stood in the free throw circle, getting ready to make his first shot. There's no way it will miss, as all those days with Kise won't go to waste. He made the first shot, it went in perfectly. He then made the next, and it ended in the same result.

"Nice shot!" Shinohara shouted.

"Good job Kise!" Matsumoto cheered. Takeuchi nodded with his arms folded.

Aomine looked at Kuroko. He wasn't amused. When they were heading back, Kuroko guarded Aomine, while the others got into their position. Then suddenly, they heard the sound of the ball bouncing off the backboard and the swish of the net.

Everyone paused.

The entire gymnasium was in silence for a couple seconds.

And then after the buzzer sounded which signaled a basket was made, they erupted in cheers.

"That was a shot!?"

"He's crazy!"

Kise started to worry for his beloved Tetsucchi.

Down on the court, Aomine spoke to Kuroko. "Don't drag your feet, Kise. If you don't make it in time it's over."

Kuroko didn't respond. Instead, he moved away from Aomine and headed over to the others.

"Kobori-senpai," he said,

"It's time?" he then looked at the clock and realized. Kuroko then signaled to Takeuchi as Kobori walked over.

"Kaijou, member change!" the referee announced. Nakamura stood beside him and when Kobori made his way over, they high-fived each other. The ash-blond then made his way onto the court and quickly got into position.

Kasamatsu had the ball, but Imayoshi blocked his path. The captain found it hard to pass Imayoshi, so he shot the ball instead. He knew it wouldn't go in, but one thing was for sure, Hayakawa will always get his rebounds. _No one is better at getting offensive rebounds than Hayakawa._ He thought.

Under the net, the power forward and Wakamatsu were battling for the ball. The moment it bounced off the rim of the net, he jumped and caught it, beating Susa and Wakamatsu.

"Damn it, this kid!" Wakamatsu said, upset. Hayakawa then passed the ball to Nakamura who was right behind him. He then made the shot.

Touou restarted, Wakamatsu passed the ball to Imayoshi. He then passed the ball behind him to Sakurai who looked determined to make his shot. When he released the ball, Moriyama had run up just in time to block the shot. Kasamatsu grabbed it in time, and then passed it to Hayakawa who then passed it to Nakamura.

The ash-blond made his shot.

Kaijou then returned to defend their half, but in doing so, Kuroko said something.

"Thanks Senpai." He said. They all stopped and looked at him.

"It's you who should be thanked." Kasamatsu said.

"For my thanks, you can introduce me to girls when we win. I wouldn't mind a mixer. But neither you nor Kise should be there. You'll take all the ladies."

"What are you talking about Moriyama-san!" Hayakawa asked.

"Hai, hai. I got it." Kuroko smiled.

"You're agreeing?!" They screeched.

The boys then hurriedly got back into the game, everyone going off to their markers, Aomine coming to mark Kuroko. The blond slumped his shoulders a little bit, and held the ball between his opened legs. He then bounced the ball slowly, and upon the third bounce, he stepped off, dashing past Aomine.

Kuroko had increased his speed.

When he broke pass, everyone was shocked as the two aces thundered towards Touou's net. Kuroko then jumped to make a layup, but Aomine was right behind him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kise!" he said. He jumped to block the boy from behind and ended up causing a foul. In that moment, Kuroko had a wild idea and prayed that it would work. During practices with Kise it never did, but…

He threw the ball behind him, allowing it to curve over their heads and head to the net.

_Swish._

It went in perfectly.

"Defense! Black No. 5! Basket counts, one free throw!"

Kuroko stayed there, staring at the hoop. He couldn't believe the shot went in, after all those trials and errors with Kise that they both thought that he'd never be able to do it. He found himself looking towards the crowd, even though he knew that he won't be able to pick out Kise.

In the crowd, Kise wore the biggest grin Kuroko's face could make. Not only was he proud that Kuroko finally could do that shot, he was glad that he helped Kuroko become the player that he is.

"Wait, isn't that Aomine's fourth foul?" Hyuuga asked. "He can't make any more bold plays!"

"Yeah, Touou's in a pinch now." Riko replied.

On the court, the Touou player's started to fret. It's bad that their ace has four fouls, but it's even worse that Kaijou's ace can still play at full power without any restrictions.

By the net, Kuroko looked at Aomine, with the blankest face ever. The ace was taken aback as that face reminded him of 'Tetsu'. _What's going on?_ Kuroko then walked pass him to make his free shot. He got into position and made the shot effortlessly.

Imayoshi bounced the ball as he made his way to Kaijou's net. _This isn't good. The entire fourth quarter is left and we're in this situation. Kaijou's still in the lead!_

Kasamatsu came up to block Imayoshi, so quickly he passed the ball to Aomine.

"Aomine!" he cried out when he noticed that the ace seemed to be in a daze. Not letting this pass, Kuroko quickly snatched the ball and headed down the court. When he was close to the three-point line, Sakurai came to stop him, so he quickly took a step back. The moment he did so, Kasamatsu came up behind him and he saw Nakamura and Moriyama ready to take shots.

He passed the ball to Kasamatsu and shouted, "Nakamura!"

The captain redirected the ball to the ash-blond who received with ease. He then made a three. Kaijou cheered. The boys made their way back to their net quickly, Aomine in deep thought.

_Those four fouls were my mistake. I'm going to crush them._

He received the ball from Imayoshi and mercilessly, he dashed towards Kaijou's net. Seeing the oncoming threat, Kuroko quickly signaled to the others to leave Aomine. They complied, and seeing this, the audience, and Touou wondered why the players weren't doing anything to stop Aomine.

Aomine himself didn't care. He was going to slam it in. The moment he jumped to dunk the ball, a hand knocked the ball away from him, sending it bouncing away to the edge of the court.

"Kise?" he said in shock.

"Hey." Kuroko answered.

Moriyama got the ball and then passed it to Kasamatsu who increased its speed to pass it to Nakamura who was already further down the court. But seeing Sakurai and Wakamatsu coming to stop him, he then passed the ball to Hayakawa who made a bank shot.

It was then that the buzzer sounded, which meant that the third quarter was now over.

The teams returned to their benches, the moment Kuroko sat down, he began breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Moriyama asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right." Kuroko answered.

"Even if Aomine gets kicked off the court, the other four are still a handful."

"Aomine-kun can't get kicked off." He replied. "I need him there."

He received startled stares from the rest of the team. "When we beat Touou, he'll know defeat. That's what I want him to feel. He won't know if he's thrown off."

"You need to be standing at the end Kise." Takeuchi said. "Your eyes are already looking tired."

"Just believe in me, Coach." Kuroko said.

"I believe in you." Moriyama said. "Both you and Kise." He then got up and headed onto the court, along with the rest of the team. Kuroko followed after.

"Touou hasn't changed their lineup." Hyuuga said.

"Anyone would lose their edge with four fouls." Izuki said. "Are they going to be okay?"

"They're more than okay," Kise said. "Just watch."

The game started, Touou has the ball. It was then passed overhead to Aomine. Once more, he and Kuroko went head to head, but Aomine was giving the blond one hell of a time. After many twists and turns, Aomine managed to score a shot.

By doing a fadeaway.

It went in smoothly.

Touou went back to defend, Nakamura went to retrieve the ball, and then passed it to Moriyama. He then passed it behind to Kuroko who then redirected it Kasamatsu. When Kuroko ran on ahead, Kasamatsu passed the ball back to him, and once more, Aomine came to stop him. However, remembering what Kise taught him yet again, Kuroko avoided Aomine and went into a fadeaway.

The ball went into the net perfectly, Aomine unable to stop it.

"What?" Wakamatsu asked in surprise.

In the audience, Kagami couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe that it was Kuroko that was playing one-on-one with Aomine. Something that he couldn't do.

"That was the exact same shot." He said.

"Of course, I taught him." Kise said with a proud look on his face.

"You did?!"

"Of ―" Kise broke off as the crowd erupted with cheers. Looking back at the match, they saw Aomine throw the ball to the hoop which bounced off the backboard and into the net.

"I don't think Kuroko is going to be able to do that one." Kagami then said.

"Hoh? You'd be quite surprised." Kise grinned. The moment he said so, Kasamatsu had gotten the ball while Touou went to defend. He then passed the ball to Moriyama, who then passed the ball to Kuroko aerially. Kuroko jumped above Wakamatsu, and as the ball landed firmly in his hands, he did the same shot as Aomine.

"What the hell?!" Hyuuga shouted.

"How is Kuroko able to do that?!" Izuki said.

"It's simple. He imagined he's passing the ball to the backboard. When he did that, the ball would crash into the backboard and have no other choice but to drop in the net."

"But how come it didn't bounce back to the court? With such force, it must ―"

"That's the secret. Instead of passing it with too much force, Tetsucchi, threw the ball with little speed, so by the time it reaches the backboard, it has little to no speed left."

"Damn," Kiyoshi said. "Kuroko is amazing."

"You know how long it took us to get that shot in?" Kise laughed.

"What the hell?!" they heard a shout. They looked in the direction of the court to see Aomine doing a double clutch against Nakamura. They then saw Kuroko nod at the others and then they saw Nakamura retrieved the ball, and passed it to Moriyama. Hayakawa, Kasamatsu and Kuroko had already run on ahead.

Moriyama then passed to Hayakawa who chest passed it to Kasamatsu. The captain then bounced it to Kuroko who had Aomine in front of him. With a smirk, Kuroko performed a double clutch against Aomine which once more, left him in a daze.

Watching the match, Kise almost tore up. "Isn't he beautiful?" he asked aloud, sniffing as well. He even pretended to wipe a tear.

Everyone looked at him. _Well, if you two are together…_

"His shots, his drives, his dribbles…everything he does is beautiful." Kise continued. "He's a masterpiece. A beautiful masterpiece."

 _Oh…that's what he meant._ Was the unison thought.

The crowd erupted. "They're exactly the same!"

"Neither one's backing down!"

"This isn't just a fist-fight; it's an all out brawl!"

Back on the court, Kaijou were heading to defend. As they walked back to their net, Kuroko addressed them.

"Kasamatsu-senpai, you and I will be passing. Nakamura-senpai and Moriyama-senpai always be ready to sink threes. And Hayakawa-senpai, we'll leave the net to you."

"Yeah!"

Imayoshi had the ball at the centre circle with Kasamatsu blocking him, while at the free-throw circle was Kuroko and Aomine. On either side of the three point line were Moriyama and Nakamura with Susa and Sakurai. Under the net, there was Hayakawa with Wakamatsu.

Even though Imayoshi had the ball, his eyes were focused on Kuroko. _The Generation of Miracles is truly terrifying._ He thought. However, little did he know that they weren't out of the woods yet. Imayoshi then attempted to pass Kasamatsu but he didn't make it easy for him. He then called out to Aomine and made an overhead to the ace. He caught the ball with ease, and smirked at Kuroko.

"You've gotten good Kise."

"Thank you for the compliment Aomine-kun." Kuroko replied. He didn't even care that he sounded too much like himself. Aomine was taken aback by the formal speech, but quickly dismissed it. Now was not the time to think about that.

He then bounced the ball after which he went into a crossover. Instead of looking at his face, Kuroko looked at his feet, to see what he'd be doing next. The moment Kuroko saw Aomine's knees shift slightly to the left he knew that he was going right.

When Aomine moved right, Kuroko slid to the right as well, trying not to lose his centre of gravity in case Aomine does something crazy. When dark haired ace saw this he quickly shifted to the left, but Kuroko only moved his upper body to the left as well.

 _What's going on?_ Aomine thought. Then, he smirked. _I guess I'll just have to be faster._ With a step, Aomine then broke pass Kuroko but while Touou were rejoicing, they miss the grins on Kaijou's faces.

The moment he got pass, Kuroko back-tipped the ball out of his hands and it bounced into Moriyama's direction. The shooting guard quickly received it, but Susa was quick to block. Kasamatsu then dashed towards Kuroko, and when he was close enough, he went in front of Aomine while Kuroko ran pass Moriyama.

He then bounced the ball to Kuroko who tapped it to Nakamura, and putting the beach training to good use, within a heartbeat, Nakamura shot the ball, Sakurai unable to stop him.

 _His release is faster than mine!_ He thought.

The ball went in perfectly; Kaijou was now at 100 while Touou was at 98. Without hesitation, the Blue Elites dashed back to their half, Touou coming to score.

Wakamatsu passed the ball to Aomine and he thundered down to the net, but something strange happened. Kasamatsu was the one who came up to block him. Looking around, Aomine noticed that Kaijou changed their marks. Nakamura was marking Susa, Moriyama was marking Sakurai, Hayakawa was still under the net but his stance was different. 'Kise' was marking Imayoshi, but the look on 'Kise's' face made him wonder. Even though he was breathing heavily and dripping with sweat, 'Kise' had the most unreadable expression it was almost scary.

But blowing that off, he dashed past Kasamatsu and in that moment he saw a flash of gold and the Kaijou guys running off. Choosing to ignore it, he continued but then Imayoshi called out to him.

"Aomine! The ball!"

"Huh?" Aomine looked absolutely frightened. The ball was gone and the Kaijou guys were storming towards Touou's net. "Shit!" he cursed. He then ran off with Imayoshi as the Touou guys were already down there.

Kuroko was the one with the ball, and Wakamatsu tried to block him. He then started dribbling extremely fast, making him trip.

Ankle break.

When Wakamatsu fell to the floor, Kuroko rocketed the ball to Kasamatsu and the captain made his shot.

"What on earth?" Harasawa said. Even Momoi was shocked as she didn't anticipate this. Aomine was pissed. Without a word to anyone, he then grabbed the ball and then dashed towards Kaijou's net. He blew past every one of them; even Kuroko had no chance of stopping him. He slammed the ball through the hoop. When Aomine walked pass them, Kuroko said,

"It's time we crank this up a notch."

The others nodded their agreement. The moment Hayakawa went for the ball, Kuroko, Kasamatsu and Moriyama went on ahead, with Nakamura behind. The power forward then passed the ball to Nakamura who then passed it to Moriyama. The shooting guard then dribbled some more but stopped when he was above the three point line on the outside. Kasamatsu was further inside and Kuroko on the outside in the position as Moriyama.

Nakamura then pass Moriyama and the instant he did so, Moriyama passed the ball to Kasamatsu who tapped it to Kuroko. Within a second, Kuroko tapped it to Nakamura who sank a three.

Touou was left in shock. The last place they saw the ball was in Moriyama's hands. He had passed it to Kasamatsu and after that only an orange blur could be seen and then Nakamura was shooting.

 _What the hell is that?_ Imayoshi thought. _They can do those passes as well?!_

He was then taken out of his reverie when Susa retrieved the ball and passed it to Wakamatsu. Well, attempted to pass to Wakamatsu. In the instant that the ball left his hands, Kasamatsu stole it and sent it to Kuroko who redirected it to Moriyama.

Wanting to please his goddess, Moriyama made his shot so gracefully, he seemed to have sparkled. Unable to fathom what was going on, Harasawa stood up to call for a time-out, but when he caught the face of Aomine, he sat back down.

Imayoshi then passed the ball Aomine and he along with Kuroko dashed down the court. Thanks to their hellish training, Kuroko was able to keep up with Aomine and so too the others. But for Touou, it was a different story.

When Kuroko managed to get in front of Aomine, Kasamatsu and Hayakawa had run on further to the net, Nakamura was behind Kuroko; Moriyama was the furthest at the centre.

Aomine tried to pass Kuroko but the blond was making it difficult. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Aomine threw the ball to net and it went in.

"You think your blocks can stop my shots?" he asked with a smirk. "I'm going to crush you. The only one who can beat me is me."

"Is that so?"

"Isn't it obvious? Not even you can beat me. You're relying on your teammates too much." He then shrugged. "Well, you were always weak so, I wouldn't expect anything better."

Kuroko grit his teeth as something within him snapped. He felt doubly offended as Aomine was not only calling him weak but his Ryou-kun as well. And when Kise had told him what Aomine said to him in their match was enough to make Kuroko flip.

"Senpai," he said as Aomine left. "Let's show no mercy." He then looked at the clock and saw that they had five minutes left. "We'll increase our speed, our passes and shots."

"Yeah, let's crush them." Nakamura grinned.

"Agreed." Kasamatsu and Moriyama said.

Hayakawa went to retrieve the ball, and then passed it to Nakamura. Kasamatsu was by the centre circle, and flanking him where Kuroko and Moriyama. However, instead of running towards them, they walked. Touou found this extremely strange but neither of them moved from their spot.

Then, Nakamura passed the ball to Kasamatsu and as that was done, both Moriyama and Kuroko dashed off towards them at frightening speeds. Aomine had then moved to block Kuroko but the blond blew past him as though he wasn't even there. But he didn't give up. He continued to follow Kuroko when suddenly; he saw the ball appear in his hand.

Aomine then swiftly moved in front of him, wanting to prevent him from making a shot. After many twists and crossovers, Kuroko still wasn't able to pass him so he jumped into a fadeaway.

"You know I'll still stop you!" Aomine said. But he got the shock of his life. 'Kise' released the ball with his left hand but then tapped it with his right, making it head into the left direction. It flew over to Nakamura who received it and made a three.

"Oh my God! What was that?!" Koganei shouted.

"A fadeaway pass, it seems." Izuki said. "That's the only way to describe it."

"He passed the ball while in a fadeaway form. Kuroko is a beast." Hyuuga said in awe. "Going up against him will be a nightmare."

Kise couldn't help but laugh. It will be a nightmare indeed.

The match continued, but it only got more intense. With Aomine and Kuroko going head to head, their speed increased, and since Kuroko focused on team play, the rest of Kaijou had increased theirs as well. Touou felt as though they were doing sprints, but thanks to their one month camp, Kaijou was already used to this. What's even better, they didn't have on weights.

The audience was kept in an uproar, as they noticed that Kaijou went on a stealing spree. The moment any other Touou player apart from Aomine had the ball, after couple dribbles it was stolen. And what was even worse, the ball tends to move at such high speeds that they kept losing track of it.

While Aomine made shots after shots and dunking sometimes, Kaijou's Moriyama and Nakamura sank what seemed to be endless threes as the moment a Touou player gets the ball, within a blink, they were seen shooting. Kuroko and Kasamatsu worked together to make this possible, Hayakawa waiting on rebounds.

As the clock continues to count down, everyone noticed something with the Touou players. They were getting worn out, while Kaijou looked as though they're just starting.

 _My head is starting to go blank._ Wakamatsu thought. _I feel like I've been nothing but sprints back and forth, damn it. Just what are Kaijou?_

Sakurai stood staring and catching his breath, however, he seemed lost to the world. Wakamatsu called out to him as the ball was passed.

"Huh?" the ball bounced off his hand and he just realized what happened. Without hitch, Kuroko snatched the ball and stormed down court, with Aomine following. By the time Aomine came up in front of him, Kuroko stopped.

 _What will he do? From the right or from the left? If I were in his position, I would fake to the left and crossover…_ Aomine thought. Since Kuroko has been copying him, he assumed that 'Kise' would have done a copy again. However…

Kasamatsu passed Kuroko and in that moment, Kuroko released the ball behind him and the captain caught it. He then bounced it to Hayakawa who then chest passed it to Moriyama. Once more, the irregular shooter sank a three.

Peeved, Aomine took the ball, and made his way to Kaijou's net. Nakamura was on his tail, but then he saw Aomine released the ball. Seeing this sudden action left him frozen but that's what Aomine wanted. He quickly grabbed back the ball and made a dunk in Kaijou's net.

Looking at the score, Kuroko saw that Touou was only one three behind at 103. Kuroko didn't want to cut it close. When they headed back, the game once more returned to being solely offensive. Back and forth both teams went, scoring points after points.

The audience went crazy at seeing such intensity; Kise was constantly at the edge of his seat, enjoying the thrill it gave him. And also, seeing his beloved being awesome.

At twenty seconds remaining, the two teams managed to tie, it didn't last long. Moriyama had made a three, raising them to 115.

Kuroko blocked Aomine from passing but he knew that he was capable of making formless shots as well. When Kasamatsu came up behind Kuroko, Kuroko then shifted, allowing the captain to mark the ace. Aomine was confused by this, so he decided to break pass from a crossover. However, Kasamatsu was able to keep up, and in this moment of distraction, Kuroko snatched the ball, and sent it flying to Nakamura who was already sprinting away.

Everyone then followed suit, Touou trying their best to catch the boy. Aomine managed to, but Nakamura shot the ball, but he knew that it wouldn't go in.

"Hayakawa!" he shouted.

"Reave it to me!" he shouted. The ball bounced off the rim of the net, but as usual, he got it. Passing it to Moriyama, Kaijou once more added another three to their points.

Ten seconds left and Imayoshi had the ball. He passed it to Aomine, but Kuroko instructed Moriyama to stay at Touou's three point line. When Aomine made the shot, Touou didn't move from their spot, as they wanted to make another. After all, they had couple seconds left.

When Hayakawa got the ball, he saw how tight the defense was, but seeing a smile from Kasamatsu made him think otherwise. Kuroko then dashed to Hayakawa, Touou thinking that he'll pass to him. However, Kuroko pivoted on his right leg and dashed into Touou's half, while the ball was passed to Kasamatsu. Aomine ran past them to guard his net, but Kuroko didn't mind.

"Nakamura-senpai, let's do this!" Kuroko said. Nakamura didn't understand what Kuroko meant, but he stayed close to the blond. When they were close enough, Kasamatsu had passed the ball to Moriyama but he was unable to make his shot. He then passed it back to Kasamatsu who saw Kuroko and Nakamura thundering to the net where Aomine was.

Kuroko then looked at the captain and nodded, Kasamatsu could manage a chuckle.

"Nakamura-senpai, let's show them teamwork." When Kuroko said this, he knew what the blond wanted. He stopped short, and allowed Kuroko to jump first.

"No you don't!" Aomine said. Nakamura then jumped as well, and in that moment, Kasamatsu bounced the ball and then redirected it perfectly in the middle of the two. Nakamura and Kuroko placed both their hands on the ball and dunked against Aomine.

Due to the force that they both used, it ended up tearing the hoop off the backboard and sending Aomine crashing down.

The gymnasium was silenced.

The buzzer then sounded, indicating a score and the match's end.

Nakamura and Kuroko looked down on Aomine with blazing eyes, and then Kuroko spoke.

"The only one who can beat Aomine Daiki," Kuroko started.

"…is Kaijou." Nakamura finished. They then walked off.

"Game over! One hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifteen, Kaijou!"

"Thank you very much!"

Aomine stood staring into space. He couldn't believe that he just lost, to 'Kise'. He looked at the Kaijou guys celebrating, ruffling 'Kise's' hair and patting his back.

"Aomine! You need to get off the court!" Imayoshi said.

"Ah, yeah." Aomine said. Kuroko looked at the ace and saw the look he wore. He then made his way over and placed a hand on Aomine's shoulder.

"Aominecchi!" he chirped. "Fix your face! This isn't like you at all!"

"Get away from me, Kise."

Kuroko smirked. "You had fun didn't you?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You had fun."

"Whatever," he then drawled. Seeing that he just lost, Kuroko decided to leave him alone. For now at least.

The audience was appalled. The match left them energized and pumped up but quarter-final three wasn't that much to look forward to.

 _It's been reaffirmed._ Kagami thought. _That's Kuroko._

 _We'll eventually play against him in this tournament if he and Kise haven't switched back._ Izuki thought. _It's not going to be pretty._

Riko then stood up. "We can't keeping brooding forever! We have a match to play at 4 o'clock, let's go review our plans!"

The boys got up, Kise was the happiest person on earth. He returned to being a ball of sunshine and he knew that Kuroko was going to watch his match. He'll show him just how awesome he can be then.

_xxxx_

The Touou locker room was gloomy. No one said anything, but all eyes looked at Aomine. He just sat there, staring at the floor, and seeing this Momoi was both happy yet sad. She thought that by losing it may bring him back to his former self, but seeing him looking so distraught made her heart ache.

"Coach, could we watch the Seirin match?" she asked Harasawa.

"Sure, I don't see why not."

She then turned to Aomine, "you hear that Dai-chan, we can watch Tetsu-kun's match!"

"Hn." Was all he replied. "Whatever,"

"Let's go then!" the two left the locker room with everyone else following behind.

_xxxx_

"We're in the semi-finals!" Shinohara shouted with glee. "We're in the semis!"

The regulars who just played sat on the benches, drinking water and eating lemons. Takeuchi watched them with admiration, more so 'Kise'. The blond had worked hard, not only practicing but also with analyzing teams and coming up with strategies. He truly admired him for that.

"Good job everyone." He said.

"Thanks Coach." They chorused.

"Hey, are you going to watch the Seirin vs. Yosen match?" Nakamura asked.

"Yeah," Kuroko replied. "Coach could we go?" he then asked.

"Sure, I'd like to see it as well."

"Well, we better head out now before the seats get full."

With that the boys got up and headed out.

_xxxx_

"It was an amazing game, wasn't Shin-chan?" Takao asked Midorima. They were seated in the crowd. "Kise and Aomine are really monsters."

"Don't tell me what I already know." He said as he fixed his glasses. "Besides there is a monster sitting right beside you."

Takao smirked.

"Takao, Midorima?" a voice called.

The two were startled, so they turned around to see Kaijou coming to sit behind them. It was Kasamatsu who had called out to them.

"Hello." Midorima greeted.

When they had taken their seats, Takao started up a conversation.

"Your match had me at the edge of my seat! That dunk at the end was totally unexpected!"

"Thank you." Nakamura and Kuroko said.

"I can't believe that we have to wait an entire hour for Seirin's match." Moriyama said. "Who are playing now?"

"I have no idea." Kuroko replied. "Not that I wanted to either way."

"I heard it's a school from Kyoto and another from God knows where." Takao replied.

"It's Rakuzan and Shiota High." Takeuchi answered. "It should go to Rakuzan though."

"Yeah," Kuroko said.

"How come?" Hayakawa asked.

"Not only do they have three of the Uncrowned Kings, they have the captain of the Generation of Miracles." Kasamatsu said.

"And knowing Akashi, losing is not an option." Midorima said.

"Indeed." Kuroko added.

Just as he said this, the two teams walked out. Akashi's red hair is the most that stood out, but there was something about the boy that even they felt it in the crowd. When they were all changed, the two teams lined up and greeted each other. After which, they got into position and then the referee threw the ball into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	37. Inter-High Seirin vs. Yosen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yosen's number six is not Himuro.

Chapter 37

...

"Game Over! One hundred and fifty three to Forty three, Rakuzan!"

"Thank you very much!"

Honestly, it was not a surprise that Rakuzan had won. What stunned Kuroko and the others was the fact that on court, only four of Rakuzan's players were visible, and the ball in many cases, appeared from nowhere into Akashi's hands.

A phantom.

Strangely, Kuroko felt something. He didn't know what it was, but all he knew that he wanted to face that phantom, whether or not he's in his original body.

"So Rakuzan has a phantom too, huh?" Kasamatsu said.

"Well, yeah. Akashi was the one who taught Tetsucchi the basic passes."

"Really?!"

Kuroko then grinned. "That phantom has nothing on Tetsucchi. His passes are simple; once you know where he's passing to, it shouldn't be a problem."

"But remember that with his weak presence, he's hardly detectable." Midorima said.

Kuroko laughed. Takeuchi then spoke up, "You have no idea exactly how dangerous Kise can be."

_xxxx_

"Alright! It comes down to now! Go out there and win this match!" Riko said.

"Yosh! I wonder who our opponent for the semis will be." Kagami said.

Everyone looked at him incredulously. Kise sighed and shook his head, but still said nothing.

"What?" he asked.

"You didn't read did you?" Riko asked. "From the very beginning, it had been decided that the winners of quarter-finals one and three will face each other in semi-final one, while the winners of quarter-finals two and four will face off in semi-final two."

"We're in quarter-final four so that means...shit!" he said in realization.

"Yep, in semi-final two on Thursday, we'll be facing Kaijou." Kise said half excited and half nervous. He knows...he just knows that Kuroko will rip them apart and cook up strategies that are out of this world. He even shivered at the thought.

Then the announcement was made, and the boys exited the room.

_xxxx_

Seirin and Yosen made their way onto the court, the crowd cheering on both. On both sides of the entrance way there were cameras and journalists, but one person stood out the most, strangely.

Kise.

Even though he had on long pants, he also had on Seirin's jersey top underneath his oversized Kaijou jacket. Most pictures snapped were of him, and one journalist even stopped him and asked,

"Why do you have on a Kaijou jacket?" she wore a smile.

The members halted in their tracks, wondering how he will answer it.

"Because Ryou-chan and I are _best friends_." He responded.

"Ryou-chan?"

"Kise Ryouta-chan."

Everyone noticed that he emphasized the 'best friends' a little bit too much. But, with a bow, he quickly whisked himself away from them, to focus on their match.

After they had passed, Yosen entered, and it left everyone there in awe. For high school students, not only were they huge but tall along with it. When Kise's eyes caught Murasakibara, he thought that he had grown. And back in Teikou, he had honestly thought that the purple-haired giant didn't need any more height.

"I'm sure you know, today's opponent is at least strong as Touou." Riko addressed her boys who were sitting on the bench. "Half measures won't work against them. Give them everything you have out of the gate!"

"All right!" Hyuuga shouted.

"You're a little stiff, Hyuuga." Kiyoshi said. "Let's have some fun."

"I know that." He replied.

"I expect that I can expect great things from you." Izuki punned.

"Don't distract us with lame jokes, Izuki-senpai!" Kagami said. Hyuuga looked as though he would have murdered the point guard but he quickly held it in, as he needed him for this match. They then huddled together and did their cheer.

"Seirin, FIGHT!"

"Yeah!"

The two teams then made their way onto the court; all of Yosen's players except Fukui were towering over Seirin's. After they had bowed, each player got into his position, the referee preparing to throw the ball into the air.

Kiyoshi and Murasakibara faced each other, not only because they were centres but because they were the tallest of their teams.

"It's been a while, Murasakibara-kun." Kiyoshi said. "Since we met in middle school."

"Who?" he asked.

"Me. Don't you remember?" Kiyoshi then asked.

"We competed back then? I forgot." He then added, "And I don't remember weak people."

When the Seirin players heard that, their blood immediately boiled. Kise can't believe that _he_ was also like this at one point. He kept quiet, remembering that he was in Kuroko's body.

The referee then blew the whistle, and threw the ball into the air. _Don't try to get the tip-off, Murasakibara-kun is far too tall._ Kiyoshi remembered Kuroko's words, so he didn't put much effort into jumping.

Izuki prepared himself, as he was positioned beside Fukui. _The moment Murasakibara-kun gets the ball; he may pass it to their number five. Intercept it then and do it a Cyclone pass._

Murasakibara reached the ball and as Kuroko had said, he passed it to Fukui. However, the ball never made it there. Izuki stole it so quickly and sent it rocketing down court to Hyuuga who was already making his way to his spot. He caught the ball with ease and then without hitch, landed a perfect three.

Yosen were surprised at this. Even the audience.

"Wow that was fast!" Takao said. "Even though Murasakibara got the tip-off!"

Kasamatsu looked at Kuroko who had on a smile. "You helped them, didn't you?"

"A little." He replied with a chuckle. But Kasamatsu couldn't blame the boy. After all Seirin is his original team but Kasamatsu wondered if he will be okay in the semi-final... "Don't worry, Senpai."

"Huh? About what?"

"When they win this match and face us Thursday, I won't ease up." The blond then added. "Not even for a second."

The way Kuroko spoke gave everyone chills, even Midorima had to turn to look at the boy. But when he looked at the match proceeding, he couldn't believe it. _Kise helped them to get pass Yosen's defense?_ The green-haired shooter was once more appalled. He had seen a little of it in the Touou vs. Seirin match, and felt it in the training camp. He didn't want to admit, but 'Kise' was scary.

Yosen headed into Seirin's court with the ball, Liu then passed it to Fukui who had Izuki on him. He then made a three; however, it bounced off the rim of the net. Kagami and Kiyoshi were there to get the rebound, however, Okamura used his height to his advantage and sadly for Seirin, he tipped the ball into the net.

"Don't mind!" Hyuuga shouted. _I can't believe that Kagami and Kiyoshi lost an offensive rebound. They're not just tall for show._ He then passed the ball to Izuki and they then made their way back into Yosen's half of the court. But this time, all of Yosen's players were there, and the pressure Seirin felt...if their heads weren't screwed on right, they would have probably forfeited.

Izuki continued to bounce the ball, until Fukui came up to block him. The moment he done so, he passed the ball to Kiyoshi who then immediately passed it to Kagami. The power forward passed it to Kise who tapped the ball into Hyuuga. The received it with ease, who then jumped to make a three. But Murasakibara came up on him so quickly, that the captain was frightened.

 _I'll crush him._ Murasakibara thought.

 _He's too tall!_ Hyuuga thought as he shot the ball. Murasakibara slammed it back down onto the court, Hyuuga still couldn't believe it. _I thought I had enough space. He's unbelievable. He makes Shinkyo's Papa look cute._

Luckily, the ball bounced into Izuki and Fukui's direction, but the eagle eyed boy got to it first. Fukui was behind blocking him, but his mind ran on Murasakibara. _He's not just tall. He's unbelievably fast for someone with such a giant body._

Izuki then passed to Kise, but since he lacks presence, it seemed as though it's an open space. Yosen's number Six reached for it, but Kise quickly redirected it to Kagami who was across from him.

"All right! Nice pass, Kise!"

The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes at Kagami, hoping that Murasakibara didn't just hear that. On the other hand, Yosen's players were surprised by that pass. When Kagami jumped to make his shot, within two steps, Murasakibara had reached up to the redhead, blocking him.

 _That's impossible._ Kagami thought in shock. _How...How is he already here?_ Kagami shot the ball, but the purple-haired centre knocked it away.

Fukui caught the ball and then dashed down the court with Yosen's players (except Murasakibara) going into Seirin's half. He then passed to Liu, who due to his height was able to make a shot. Picking up the ball, Kiyoshi then passed it Kise but remained positioned under the net. As a matter of fact, all of Seirin's players remained in a defense position. After three bounces, Kise then straightened and went into a jump. He released the ball, the arc high enough that it seemed to have touched the ceiling. The ball then crashed downwards into Yosen's net.

Midorima's high projectile three.

That was one shot that not Murasakibara could not stop. The Yosen players were shocked out of their wits, as Kise has yet to play like the Miracles in this Tournament. This was something that they didn't anticipate.

 _Kuro-chin can do Mido-chin's shot?!_ Murasakibara thought as he looked at the ball. _Since when?!_

However, they quickly restarted, Fukui having the ball and made his way in front of Izuki. He then passed the ball to their number Six, who then made a shot. Kiyoshi went for the ball, and then passed it to Kise who then tapped it to Izuki.

The point guard then made his way down court to Yosen's net, only to stumble on a huge 9 in front of his face. Frightened, he stepped back and looked up to see Murasakibara's bored expression. _Damn it, Murasakibara!_ He thought.

"What? You're not coming?" He asked lazily. The other Yosen players had made their way back into their half quickly, Izuki still had the ball.

Hyuuga then ran to outside and called out to the point guard. Izuki passed the ball to Hyuuga, who immediately went into shooting form. _If we can't score from the inside, we'll score from the outside!_ He thought as he shot the ball. However, Okamura jumped to block it, but his fingers managed to graze the ball. _So tall!_

As the ball bounced off the rim, Kagami and Kiyoshi tried to get the rebound but failed. Murasakibara had caught it with ease.

 _Damn it! It's too hard to score from under the basket!_ Kagami thought.

On the bench, the Seirin boys groaned in misery.

 _This isn't good._ Riko thought. _Even though their defense is strong, it's not as though we can't shoot at all, but we can't get any rebounds. And what's worse, we can't have Kise-kun constantly making Midorima-kun's threes._

As the match progressed, Seirin found it difficult to score from up close. Going by what Kuroko had suggested, they put Kise to good use.

" _Shooting those threes isn't easy, so for the first half, Ryou-kun should shoot only four of Midorima-kun's threes."_ Izuki remembered what Kuroko had said, and so with a look to the blue-haired boy, he passed the ball to him. Kise then went into shooting form, since this time he was shooting from the centre and not from his net. He released the ball, once more it crashed down, Seirin earning another three points.

Up in the audience, Midorima seemed a bit upset.

"Calm down Shin-chan!" Takao said trying to cheer him up.

"I'm not angry." He replied.

"But I can see it that you don't like it when Kuroko uses your threes."

Everyone chuckled at this. Midorima didn't counter; instead he fixed his glasses and folded his arms. Kuroko found it amusing but this time, he didn't provoke the ace.

Across from them, there was Touou, and they too, were left in awe. Aomine couldn't care less for the other players; his eyes were only on 'Tetsu'. Seeing him like this, made him realize something. In his match not too long ago, Kise had behaved in a way similar to the Tetsu he knew. Formal speech, blank expression, doing certain passes...the works. He furrowed his brows in question, but decided that maybe it was just 'Kise' growing up. But that didn't mean it wasn't going to ask him about it.

The match continued, both teams going at it. However, it was clear that Seirin was struggling against Yosen's defense. Anytime Hyuuga tried to make a three, Okamura or Murasakibara would stop the shot. Or if he manages to shoot it, when it rebounds, Kagami and Kiyoshi would lose it to Murasakibara.

They would also try to use their speed to get some advantage, but once Murasakibara spots the ball, with his long legs, he'd be up on the shooter before they could shoot the ball.

Their only points came from Kise, who could only copy Midorima in this match. With the ball having a high arc as that, there's no way the purple-haired giant could reach it.

With fifteen seconds left, Kise only had one more of Midorima's shots to make. After that, for the second and third quarters, they'd have to find other means of getting shots in.

 _Their defense is no joke, it's unbelievably strong._ Hyuuga thought as he wiped his sweat. _They're not giving an inch._

Izuki and Fukui were at the top of the circle, while Kiyoshi and Liu were at the free-throw circle. Kise and Hyuuga blocked their number Six by the wing, Kagami and Okamura were in the paint.

Fukui had the ball, and then he passed it to Liu. Fukui then ran closer to Liu and just in time to receive the ball again from the tall player. He then shot the ball, but Kagami was quick on his feet.

"No you don't!" he shouted as he jumped. He managed the touch the ball with his fingers, it crashed into the rim and bounced back.

 _Because Kagami jumped for the block, Kiyoshi and I have to handle these two._ Hyuuga thought as he watched the ball. He had Liu and Kiyoshi had Okamura. As the ball fell, the four jumped for the ball.

 _I will defend Seirin's basket!_ Kiyoshi thought with determination. He managed to reach the ball and caught it. The moment he landed on the floor, the buzzer sounded.

Seirin rejoiced, Hyuuga and Kiyoshi giving each other high-fives, much to the captain's discontent. Kise sighed a relief, but now, he knew that it's going to be even more difficult.

In the audience, Kuroko tsk'ed' as he fumbled with his nail. He knew Yosen would be a hard nut to crack, but this was far beyond what he'd expected. So far, only a part of their plan worked. If Kise couldn't shoot like Midorima, then they would have been screwed.

The teams sat on their benches rehydrating themselves, but Seirin was far from relaxed. They got by with Kise, and thankfully, they were glad that it was him and not Kuroko. If it were...

"Their defense is suffocating." Kise sighed. "And to make things worse, I won't be shooting for two whole quarters. That's twenty minutes!"

"I know. Kuroko is probably pissed by now." Izuki said, half-chuckling.

"Well, he knew that they were going to be tough." Koganei said. "They're worse than Seiho."

"Anyway, let's continue with the plan that we discussed." Riko started. "Since Kise-kun won't be doing the long distance shots for a while, this quarter is highly dependent on your coordination with him, Izuki-kun."

"You can count on me." He smiled.

"I count on you so many times that I lost count." Kise punned.

"Nice, Kise!"

"Die!" Hyuuga shouted as he karate chopped the point guard on the head.

They then headed back out onto the court, ready for the second quarter. They then got into position, under the net was Kagami and Okamura, which the redhead was having a difficult time in keeping the captain at bay. Hyuuga and Kise were on Six, Kiyoshi had Liu, and Izuki had Fukui as always.

Yosen had the ball, Fukui then passed it to the nearest person, Liu. He then passed the ball to Okamura who he knew could make the shot. Kagami knew that he would receive the ball but due to the captain being so huge, it was hard for him to keep him out of the inside.

Without hitch, Okamura shot the ball, Kagami trying to block it but failed.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

Kiyoshi then walked to the redhead and pat him on his head. "Kagami. Your hips. Drop your hips." He said.

"That hurts!" Kagami shouted. "I'm already doing that! Don't you have any other advice?!"

"Other advice?" he then groaned. "He's big. You should be careful. We ran our legs off for a month for a reason, right?" He said in a serious tone.

"I know that!"

"Really? Never mind then." Kiyoshi then walked to regroup with the others. Kise then came up beside the redhead with a face that could pass as one of Kuroko's expressions.

"The secret is your centre of gravity." He said as he walked away following behind Kiyoshi. Kagami looked at the boy and realized something. He'd been awfully quiet doing this match. Any match as a matter-of-fact. It wasn't because he was pretending to be Kuroko; (he didn't need to around them), but Kagami thought that maybe, Kise had learned to be less chatty.

When the game continued, Hyuuga had the ball but Six was blocking him. Quickly he passed the ball through Six's legs, which Kise redirected to Izuki with ease. The point guard then went into shooting form, and made the shot unhindered.

"Yeah, Izuki-senpai!" the bench cheered.

They then made their way back into Seirin's half, Yosen had the ball and once more, their defense was tough. Especially for Kagami. He had Okamura once again with him under the net, while everyone else had their markers.

 _Damn it,_ Kagami thought as Okamura pushed against him. _Okay, lower my hips and then...find my centre of gravity!_ Kagami steadied himself, and then Okamura and the other players noticed something.

"You little brat!" he said.

"I figured it out." Kagami smirked.

"Don't underestimate me!" he shouted. He then received the ball and went for a shot.

"Not deep enough!" Kagami shouted. "I can catch up!"

When he released the ball, Kagami knocked the ball away but it bounced off the backboard. Liu then went for it, but he noticed that Kiyoshi had a better reach than him. He then passed to Kise who pushed the ball to Izuki. Izuki then tapped it Hyuuga who was already waiting on the outside. But Murasakibara was there.

He jumped pretending to make the shot, and this made Murasakibara jump as well. But the moment he did so, he passed the ball through his legs to Izuki. Sadly, the centre was up on him. Seeing the threat, he then passed to Kagami who, out of shock and fright shot the ball. It spun around the rim before in.

Kagami exhaled a breath.

"Yosha!" Hyuuga shouted, Kise and Izuki high-fived him, Kiyoshi ruffling his hair.

The game went on for the rest of the second quarter; the key players were Izuki and Kise. With their passing skills, they had managed to get the ball around quickly, even though a couple of Hyuuga and Kagami's shots were stopped by Murasakibara.

Whenever Yosen was on offense, stopping them was a task, but few times Kagami managed to make Okamura's shots rebound, but not all the time, Kiyoshi was able to get it due to the height difference.

By the time the second quarter ended, Yosen was in the lead on thirty points while Seirin was trailing with twenty-five points.

【 _The second quarter is over. There is a ten minute intermission._ 】

Seirin sat on their bench, cooling off. Looking over at Yosen, they all knew that they haven't shown their cards as yet. They then made their way to their locker room, where Riko quickly addressed the situation.

"Does everyone remember what to do?" she asked. "Izuki-kun, Teppei?"

"Hai!" they said together.

"We have yet to see what Six is capable of, and judging by the rate at which this match is going, I think, Murasakibara-kun will eventually move from the net."

"That's true." Kagami sighed. "He's going to be a handful."

"But remember the plan we came up with Kuroko-kun?" she then asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. Now let's win this! Seirin, FIGHT!"

"Yeah!"

_xxxx_

Kuroko slumped in his chair, when he saw the teams walk off to their locker rooms. He let out a sigh, and raked a hand through his hair. Kasamatsu and the other Kaijou members would not miss this.

"What's wrong?" Moriyama asked.

"Yosen was worst than I thought. The videos I had watched prior to this made them seem like they were doing warm-ups compared to now."

"You watched videos of their matches?" Takeuchi asked.

"Well, yeah. I worked with Seirin on their plan for Yosen."

"What?!"

"Calm down, Coach. I didn't do much. As I said, I worked _with_ them." Kuroko said. "It's not like I did all the work and they executed it." It wasn't a lie. He only gave them ideas as to what would work, they made their own strategies. Even if he wanted to help to that extent, Riko and Hyuuga were adamant that they should think for themselves.

Neither Midorima nor Takao made this pass. Either way, Kise was dangerous when it came to strategical warfare. But one thing he was curious about, a match-up between Seirin and Kaijou. At the camp, the two teams seemed especially close and he noticed that both Kasamatsu and Izuki could pass like Kuroko. Subconsciously, he found himself smiling.

Their attention was diverted to the court as the crowd roused up. The two teams had made their way back, sitting on their benches. They then took off their shirts and walked onto the court.

The buzzer then sounded, Yosen had the ball. Seirin were in their defensive positions, trying to stop Yosen from scoring.

"They didn't bench Tetsu-kun?" Momoi asked. She noticed that 'Kuroko' was still playing. "Why? His misdirection won't work for the entire game."

"It seems that Seirin isn't relying on his misdirection anymore." Aomine said. "If he can play like the miracles and pass like usual, then misdirection isn't really needed."

"That's right, Aomine." Harasawa said.

Fukui then passed the ball to Six, Kise and Hyuuga felt a sudden chill run down their spine. In all the videos that they watched, Six hasn't done much apart from making shots occasionally. But right now, they both could feel that he's got something up his sleeve. He then bounced the ball thrice and upon the fourth, they saw him step back and made a dash around Hyuuga, driving to the net.

Everyone was left awestruck.

Kise was the first to snap out of his reverie, and followed behind the boy. However, he then passed to Liu who then passed the ball back to him and he made a shot.

"I hate unknown factors. They piss me off." Kuroko mumbled.

Kasamatsu chuckled. "Because they throw a wrench in your plans, right?"

"Precisely that."

On the bench, Riko was shocked. She knew that they should watch out for Six, but this was totally unexpected. _He's showing his colours now? This can't be good._

When Seirin regrouped, Hyuuga decided to try something.

"Guys, let's change gears." He then turned to Kise. "Kise, can you handle him?"

"Of course, Senpai. I took on Aominecchi, didn't I?"

"So on offense, Kise and Izuki will still coordinate, but on defense Kise will stop him." The captain finished. "Let's do this!"

When Seirin got into their defensive position, the Yosen players noticed that even before Six could prepare himself, 'Kuroko' was already blocking him. Six then shifted to the right, so did Kise. As a matter of fact, no matter where Six moved to, Kise was there blocking his path. Six found this annoying, as he wasn't able to do what he wanted.

Murasakibara was the most surprised when he saw this. He's never seen Kuroko go one-on-one with anyone before because he knows that he _can't_. But now, he was keeping Six in check and doing a damn good job at it as well.

Fukui realized that passing to Six was out of the question, so when he looked at how his players were positioned, the best choice would be passing directly to Okamura. Kagami as usual had Okamura, Kiyoshi and Hyuuga were on Liu, he had Izuki. And there's no way he'd pass to Six.

Going with his plan, Fukui made an aerial pass to Okamura which the captain caught. However, he didn't immediately shoot. Seeing that Kagami can stop his shots now, he stepped back, taking the redhead by surprise. _Then_ he made the shot. Kagami had reacted a bit late, so only the tip of finger managed to graze it. The ball landed on the rim of the net, and the spun around it until it went in.

 _Even though I'm stopping this one, the others are a pain in the ass, too!_ Kise thought with a hiss. He then had a thought. Going up to Kagami, he then said,

"Kagamicchi, why don't you switch marks with me?"

"Huh? Can you manage him?!"

"I want to try something. If it doesn't work then…"

"Fine." He sighed. "I'll take on Six in your space then."

Kiyoshi had then passed the ball to Izuki, who made two dribbles and stopped at the top of the circle. Kise was across from him, close to the edge of the court, while Hyuuga and Kiyoshi were in their usual spots. Kagami was in the paint area.

Swiftly, Izuki passed the ball to Kise, who tapped it to Kagami. When he did so, he shouted, "Captain!" Hearing the shout, Kagami quickly passed the ball to Hyuuga who was waiting at the three-point line. When he received the ball he went into shooting form, but as quick as ever, Murasakibara was in front of him.

Izuki had then run closer to the captain and when Hyuuga saw his point guard coming, he made a bounce pass to him. Izuki tapped it to Kise and seeing this as the only choice, he made the shot himself.

"That was a close one." Kasamatsu said. "They're lucky Izuki had reacted fast enough."

"But to think Seirin would be playing catch-up." Takao said. "From what I've seen, their offense isn't weak, but Murasakibara is able to stop them like that. He's scary."

"It's not just Murasakibara." Midorima said. "The other four are stopping them as well. Due to their build and height, threes have a higher percentage of being blocked, and only a fool would try to shoot from their inside."

"Add to that, Murasakibaracchi's ―" Kuroko abruptly stopped as he nearly bit his tongue calling the centre's name. "His defense covers the entire three point area and when you add the others into the mix, there's no opening. In all honestly, the best school to face them would be yours, Midorimacchi."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because of you. You can shoot threes from anywhere on the court. And since Murasakibaracchi doesn't move from the net, your teammates can always handle the other four while you have free reign."

"I see." Takeuchi joined in. "And because your threes have such a high arc, no matter how tall a centre is, he'll never be able to reach it. In other words, if this were Shutoku's match, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys won."

Takao felt proud. He knew Midorima was as well; he was just being his usual self and hiding it.

They then turned their eyes back to the back as the crowd roused up. What they saw left them in shock. Kagami and Kise ('Kuroko' in some cases) had switched marks.

" _WHY IS HE MARKING THAT BEAST?!_ " Kuroko shouted as he rose to his feet. "Are they insane?! He needs to get out of there!" He looked as though he was about to rip out his hair.

"Calm down!" Kasamatsu shouted, tugging on his jersey to force him to sit.

"I'm sure they have a plan." Moriyama soothed.

 _Don't go into protective boyfriend mode now, Kuroko._ Nakamura thought.

"I knew you had some attachment to Kuroko, but I've never seen act like this before, Kise." Midorima said.

"I was just a bit worried that's all." He said as he calmed down. "He's just so small compared to Yosen's captain. If he isn't careful, he'd be crushed." He sat back down and then felt the heat rose to his face. _I can't believe I just did that._

Hyuuga and the others were baffled as to what was happening as well, but they decided to leave it until they were on offense.

 _Why did Kise-kun switch with Kagami-kun?_ Riko thought.

Yosen had noticed this change as well, but they blew it as Seirin attempting something. However, Fukui then passed to Six, but he found that Kagami was just as good as 'Kuroko'. So quickly, he then passed to Okamura, and in the moment he turned around, Kise knocked the ball from his hands.

The captain had totally forgotten that he was there.

Kise had passed the ball to Izuki who then passed to Hyuuga who was already running towards Yosen's net. The other Seirin players followed suit, so did the Yosen team.

Hyuuga stopped in his usual spot, but passed instead to Kise the moment Murasakibara had come to block him. Kise then passed to Izuki, who immediately tapped the ball back to Kise who sent it rocketing back to Hyuuga. Without waiting to be comfortable, he shot the ball, earning three points.

The audience was silenced. They had lost track of the ball the moment Hyuuga passed it to Kise and after seeing hands moving and a glimpse of an orange blur, Seirin's captain was shooting.

"Amazing!"

"Their passes are so fast!"

Looking at the clock, Touou saw that this quarter had five minutes remaining, even though Seirin were making considerable strides, Yosen was still ahead. That meant, they have to make some shots the rest of this quarter as well as to try and take the fourth. If not, it's game over.

"That number six doesn't seem too bad." Aomine said. Everyone looked at him. "But I don't think he'll be able to beat Tetsu."

"That's true. If Kuroko was able to go one-on-one with you then handling Six should be a piece of cake." Imayoshi said.

"That's right, but I don't think changing his mark was a wise idea." Harasawa joined. "First, Okamura is far larger than him, with him being there, it's dangerous. He can easily be pushed into the hoop and sustain injury. Another thing, as Aomine said, since he was able to take him on, it would be wise to leave him with Six."

"I agree, Coach." Momoi said.

They then refocused on the match, Hyuuga saying something to 'Kuroko'.

"Kise, I think you and Kagami should switch back. Since you did a good job at stealing the ball, I think you should hide your presence and try to steal from either Okamura or Six, if they get the ball." He then looked up to the audience. "And I have a feeling that if something should happen to you under the net, Kuroko will come down here and murder everyone on this court." He then shivered when he remembered the thighs incident. "And I personally don't want to be on his hit list."

Kise laughed. "Sure thing, Senpai."

The match progressed, Seirin had the ball. Izuki bounced the ball until the players got into position; Kiyoshi had Murasakibara under the net.

"You never learn." The Yosen player started. "I just don't understand why people try so hard when they know they can't win."

"Whether or not I can win doesn't matter." Kiyoshi replied. "Working towards a goal is just so much fun, I can't help myself." He then asked, "Don't you enjoy basketball?"

"What?" Murasakibara asked, almost sounding like a snarl.

Izuki then passed to Kiyoshi, who went for a shot. Murasakibara jumped for the block as well.

"It's annoying that you can say things like that." He said. "Both you and Kuro-chin. Don't act like you've accomplished anything when you're only going to lose!"

But, Kiyoshi then made a double clutch but even that was stopped by his defense. Murasakibara had used his right hand to stop the shot. The ball was knocked away, Izuki catching it just in time. He then passed to Kiyoshi who had made it to the three-point line in time, stunning the Yosen players.

 _What? When did he get there?_ Fukui thought.

Kiyoshi then straightened his form, and shot the ball. It went in perfectly, Seirin cheering.

 _Their centre can shoot threes?!_ Liu thought.

"It must have been a fluke." Murasakibara said aloud as he watched Seirin head back.

 _Kiyoshi didn't have any threes in our data. He can't keep it up._ Was what Okamura thought.

They quickly restarted, Yosen making their way to Seirin's net. As usual, Fukui had the ball, with Izuki blocking his path. He then looked to his teammates and noticed something. Six was unmarked. He found this strange as 'Kuroko' was the one who always marked him. Anyway, seeing this as a chance, he then passed the ball into Six's direction, and the moment he'd done so, Izuki dashed off.

It was then that he saw Kise intercept the ball and then passed it to Izuki who had sprinted away. Hyuuga was close behind and within no time, the captain was by the line. Izuki passed to Kise, hoping to fool them, which it did, but then he passed the ball to Kagami who was behind. He then passed to Hyuuga who made a three.

Without even celebrating, Seirin made their way back to their net, this time, instead of keeping the ball too long, Fukui gave the ball to Six who made a three.

"Don't mind!" Hyuuga shouted. "Change gears! Izuki, Kiyoshi, get ready!"

"Yeah!"

Kiyoshi bounced the ball as he walked towards Yosen's net, and then went to mark Fukui. The Yosen point guard was shocked, as he knows that Kiyoshi plays centre.

 _This guy's the point guard?_ He thought in surprise. His eyes then looked over to Izuki and wondered what was happening.

"What do they think they're doing?" Okamura said aloud.

 _It's on you, Teppei._ Riko said to herself.

As Kiyoshi continued to bounce the ball, Fukui wondered if he was going to shoot another three. Kiyoshi then drove for the basket, Fukui followed but he quickly went into a shooting form.

 _Crap! I can't reach!_ Fukui thought.

"Everything you do is so annoying." Murasakibara then ran towards Kiyoshi for the block and jumped. The moment he jumped, Kiyoshi passed the ball into Izuki's waiting arms.

"Yosh!" he said as he made his way into the paint. He then seemed as though he was going to take a shot. Liu and Murasakibara quickly blocked him front and behind, but that didn't faze him. Using his eagle eyes, Izuki then passed the ball behind him and overhead Murasakibara.

"I said it doesn't matter if I win, but don't get the wrong idea." Kiyoshi said as he reached for the ball. "I don't intend to lose either!" He then slammed the ball in, the crowd cheering.

"Wow, Kiyoshi could point guard as well!?" Nakamura asked in shock. "But they way how they set that up, it was a pretty good plan!" When he said this, all eyes landed on Kuroko. Feeling their stares, he quickly said,

"I may have given them that idea. But they were the ones who turned it into a strategy. Mostly."

"Kise, save your ideas for us." Takeuchi said, sounding as though he was scolding the boy.

"Hai, Coach." He said.

The game resumed, Seirin went into the same formation yet again, Kiyoshi as point guard. When Hyuuga passed the ball back to him, He went into shooting form.

 _I just shouldn't jump._ Murasakibara thought. But when he saw Kiyoshi's face, he remembered the question he asked, _"Don't you enjoy basketball?"_ That seemed to have ticked him off, as he ran towards Kiyoshi and jumped for the block.

Kiyoshi then bounced pass the ball to Kise who redirected to Kagami.

_What am I doing? I'm just doing the same thing as before!_

Before Kagami could make the shot, Okamura and Liu blocked him so he passed to Hyuuga who already in position.

"Yosh! Things are starting to flow here as well too!" Doing what he does best, he made his three. This brought them up to forty three while Yosen was on forty nine.

The buzzer sounded.

"Yosen, Time out!"

"Hmm, it looks like they weren't expecting that." Aomine said.

"Considering number seven is a centre, his long range shooting percentage should be low, Mukkun doesn't need to jump." Momoi said.

"Making the three earlier, probably made Yosen think that he'd be able to do it again." Aomine then paused. "That and maybe, the centre provoked Murasakibara."

"What?"

"I don't know what he said but seeing how they're working hard at this, it's probably what is moving his body. Murasakibara hates people who try too hard, anyway."

On the bench, the boys were taking a breather.

"Kiyoshi-senpai, here's a towel." Furihata said.

"Thanks." He said. Kagami looked at him and saw just how much Kiyoshi was sweating. They all were, but he was by far the most drenched.

 _Being point guard on offense and centre on defense must be tough. It's like doing two jobs at once._ Kagami thought. He then looked at the clock and then at Kise, who took a sip of water. _If we don't do something, then Kise's going to have to start shooting like Midorima again._ He then remembered what happened in the Touou match and shook his head. He wouldn't want a repeat of that. Kuroko's face came into mind, and he subconsciously found himself looking at the crowd. Even it was Kise's face; Kagami wouldn't forget the look of absolute horror and shock that Kuroko made. The blond had been mortified.

"Kagamicchi," he was taken out of his thoughts by the name.

"Hmm, what?"

"You were spacing out. You never do this in a match."

"I was just thinking too hard." He then turned to face him. "If you were to start shoot now, how many shots could you make?"

Kise smirked. "You're worried, aren't you?" he then leaned back. "I've gotten a lot stronger, so I would say that I can last until the match ends. I won't be collapsing this time around."

"That's actually good to hear. I wouldn't like to see Kuroko like that again."

Kise chuckled. The buzzer then sounded and both teams made their way back onto the court.

"Let's go guys!" Hyuuga shouted.

"Yeah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	38. Inter-High Seirin vs. Yosen: Final Quarter

Chapter 38

...

The game restarted, Yosen's ball. And as always, Fukui had Izuki marking him and Six had Kise. Okamura had Kagami, Liu had Hyuuga and Kiyoshi. He continued to bounce the ball, looking for an opening. He then went into a shooting form, hoping to fool Izuki. It worked, as the point guard had jumped for the block. However, in that moment of distraction for the Seirin players, Six dashed pass Kise and then Fukui bounced the ball in his direction.

Six then went into a shooting from and shot the ball. However, he saw a shadow cast and a hand knocking the ball away.

 _What…what was that?!_ Six thought as he looked at Kise. _That block just now…it felt like Murasakibara!_

When Kise landed, the look in his eyes startled the player. Thanks to him teaching Kuroko, Kise has gotten his copies down close to perfection.

Snatching the ball, Hyuuga then dashed towards Yosen's net with the others trailing. He made his way towards Murasakibara, the centre getting ready to block his shot. He then went to the three point line and got into position. However, Izuki came and stopped close by him, Kiyoshi at the other side of the court at the wing.

 _They've done this before. Their captain will pass to their point guard next._ Murasakibara then looked to Izuki who seemed to be anticipating a pass. But this was all a trick. The moment Hyuuga saw Murasakibara avert his attention from him, he made his shot. Yosen were stunned by this.

Quickly, Okamura threw the ball to Fukui who along with the others ran into Seirin's half. Looking about him, he saw that once more, 'Kuroko' was on Six.

 _What's up with his defense?_ Fukui thought. _Because of him, Kobayashi can't get to do any of his plays._

As for Kobayashi, 'Kuroko' was pissing him off to no end. Their offense was now reduced to three men because of 'Kuroko'. No matter what he tried to do, he just couldn't get pass the boy.

As for Kise, he didn't mind putting a stop to Kobayashi, but he wanted to play as well. Go for some steals, break out some passes with Izuki, the whole works. But while he's on defense, he has to be stuck with the guy. He groaned aloud. He didn't know how Seiho could do this with smiles on their faces.

Looking across to Fukui, he saw that the point guard still had the ball. He then made a drive pass Izuki from a crossover and then passed to Liu. The Chinese then passed the ball to Okamura who had a hard time to get a shot in because of Kagami.

Kobayashi 'tsk'ed. If he doesn't do something about 'Kuroko' then they'll be in trouble. He then looked back to Murasakibara and silently prayed that the giant would find it in his heart and move from the net to help them. Then suddenly, he heard Okamura call out.

"Kobayashi!" he snapped up and saw the ball in the air. Kobayashi smiled. Being taller than 'Kuroko' meant that he could reach it. Which is what happened. But as soon as he got the ball and settled, he noticed that the smaller boy's defense was even better. There was a huge amount of pressure emanating from his small body, and Kobayashi had to wonder what kind of beast was before him. Frightened, he took couple steps back from Kise, but even so, Kise didn't let go of him. Playing one-on-ones with Kuroko paid off as the blond has a habit of stepping back and then try to drive for the net.

 _Good job, Kise!_ Hyuuga thought when he saw how heavily guarded Kobayashi was.

He then looked around frantic, and that was when Fukui moved off from Izuki and ran into his direction. Kobayashi then dashed towards Fukui and then pivoted on his right leg to end up on Fukui's left. This made Fukui come directly in front of Kise as a screen of some sorts, but Kise only smirked. Increasing his speed, Kise dashed pass Fukui who was left in awe at the sight.

Izuki had ended up running into Kobayashi to stop him but then he went into a jump stop to shoot. Sadly, the point guard reacted a second too slowly and the shot went in.

"Sorry," he said to Hyuuga.

"Don't mind. You tried." He said as he patted his back. "Now, let's get back our three!"

The moment he said that, Kiyoshi had passed the ball to Izuki who had then redirected it to Kise who was at the centre circle. Bouncing it once, he then went into shooting form. Yosen's players saw what was happening and quickly ran to stop him, but it was too late. Kise shot the ball with ease and without interruption, reclaiming Seirin's three points.

"Yosha!" he cheered.

The match progressed, and Yosen managed to score another basket. When Seirin were on the offense once more, the moment the ball was passed to Kise, Fukui, Okamura and Liu triple teamed him. Kise felt stifled. Three guys towering over him and not giving him any space to move really got the former blond miserable.

"They're triple teaming Kise-kun?!" Riko shouted in shock.

"They're trying to stop him from shooting!" Koganei shouted.

In the audience, everyone was shocked except Kuroko. He was fretting for Kise's safety more than anything else. It was like seeing a lamb being surrounded by wolves.

Back on the court, Kagami and Kiyoshi were with Murasakibara, while Hyuuga had Kobayashi. Izuki was the only one not marked.

However, Yosen missed Kise's grin. He then did a low bounce pass to Izuki, the same on that he and Kuroko had developed together. It barely bounced off the floor, the point guard almost bending down to catch it. _We should think of a name for that pass…_ Kise thought.

Since Yosen's defense was so tight, Izuki attempted to make a three, since no one else was free. Sadly, it bounced off the rim of the net, Murasakibara preparing to get the rebound.

"You're rushing." Murasakibara said lazily as Kagami pushed against him. "That's mine."

In the moment that he reached for it, Kiyoshi grabbed it and dunked it. Seirin cheered, the players were left in awe. Kise stared at Kiyoshi with newfound admiration, as he had never seen someone dunked against Murasakibara before; he'd never seen the centre lost a rebound.

Murasakibara was irritated. And pissed.

After everyone headed into Seirin's half, Murasakibara was remembering once more, the question Kiyoshi asked him. Gritting his teeth and forming a fist, he made a step.

 _I'll show you just how cruel a sport basketball is._ He thought. "I can't take it anymore." He said loudly. "It's so displeasing I could puke. Watching you squirm." _Hard_ _work,_ _determination and faith…I'll crush them all._

 _How are we supposed to stop this?_ Hyuuga thought.

 _Kuroko and Kise were right to not want him to move from the net. He's even more terrifying!_ Izuki thought as he looked on with horror.

When he had reached where everyone was, chills ran down their spines as he loomed over them. Kise looked up with fright, as being in Kuroko's body made Murasakibara look extra huge. Quickly thinking, Kise looked to Izuki. When the two made eye-contact, Kise nodded and slipped away from the group standing at the centre circle.

 _I didn't expect Murasakibara to move on his own but it's a fortunate miscalculation on our part. Thanks for waking the monster._ Yosen's female coach, Araki Misako thought.

"I'll show you." Murasakibara said. "I'll show you such unfair play; it'll make your pretty words meaningless!"

The moment he said this, Hyuuga, Kiyoshi and Kagami went to guard him but it hardly had any effect. Fukui then managed to pass the ball to the centre even though he had Izuki guarding him. When he received the ball, Murasakibara then did his tornado dunk, blowing away the three boys with ease.

Kise covered his mouth in shock and horror.

"Guys!" Izuki called out.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think you'd be knocked down so easily."

"We're not finished yet!" Kiyoshi said as he quickly rose to his feet. He then passed the ball to Izuki who sent it rocketing to Kise who was by the centre circle. When the boy received it, he then went into shooting form. However, he saw the court around him darken with a shadow. Looking up, he saw the monster.

Frightened, Kise dashed further down the court, and luckily with his small body and increased speed, he weaved through Yosen's defense with ease. However, by the time he was in the paint area, Murasakibara was already in front of him.

 _It's time I back it out!_ He thought as he went into shooting form yet again.

 _What's with that abnormal form? Kuro-chin can shoot normal threes so why is he like this now?_ Murasakibara thought. But not leaving anything to chance, the centre went closer to the boy and jumped for the block.

Kise smiled.

He pushed off the ball with his palm; it disappeared through Murasakibara's defense and went smoothly in the net.

Everyone was silenced.

"What was that?!" Takao shouted. "Where did the ball go?!"

"Into the net." Kuroko answered. "He calls it the Phantom Shot. It's self-explanatory."

"Shit." He heard Takeuchi hissed. "That's going to be hard to block." He then looked to the blond.

Kuroko sighed as he knew what the coach wanted. "I know how to stop it, don't worry."

"Honestly, I'm glad you're on my team."

However, Midorima kept quiet. Not only could 'Kuroko' shoot like him, he has found a way to create a shooting style that fits him. A shot that disappears.

 _He's dangerous. That's two different ways of shooting that are unstoppable. Just what kind of monster have you been hiding all this time Kuroko?_ Midorima thought.

They then refocused to the match just in time to see Seirin with the ball once again. They had stopped triple teaming Kise (which the boy was glad for) but he felt that something was amiss. Kiyoshi called out to Izuki who had the ball to make a pass to him. He received it, and just like before, he and Fukui faced off as he was the point guard this time.

"I'll stop you." Murasakibara drawled. "Come!"

Kiyoshi managed to break pass Fukui, and headed into Murasakibara's direction. Izuki followed when Kiyoshi jumped to make a shot. Murasakibara jumped for the block as well. Izuki then got into position to receive the ball but Murasakibara knocked it away with his left hand, leaving Kiyoshi stunned.

"I'm tired of that strategy." He then said.

Fukui snatched the bouncing the ball and sprinted down the court with Murasakibara. When he passed the ball to the centre, he was about to make a dunk when Kagami came up and jumped for the block.

"No you don't Murasakibara!" he shouted.

"Get away from there, Kagamicchi!" Kise shouted, trying to warn the redhead.

Unfazed, Murasakibara slammed the ball into the net, Kagami crashing into the floor. Then, as the purple haired giant released the hoop, it creaked.

"Basketball is a contest of short comings." Murasakibara started. "The hoop is three metres in the air." When he said this, the hoop tilted to his right, and everyone knew it was going to fall. "You can't call that fair. The game favours the tall. That's the foundation of this shitty sport. What's so fun about this?" The hoop then fell forward, crashing into the floor, luckily Kagami had moved quickly.

"To me, all ideals are nothing but trash." He continued.

The entire gymnasium was in silence. Kasamatsu and Midorima covered their mouths in shock, Kuroko clutched his chest and everyone else stared slack-jawed at the destroyed hoop.

"That's not even funny." Hyuuga said as he looked on.

"That surprised me, too." Kobayashi added.

"Honestly, I've never been gladder that he's on our side." Fukui said.

Kise looked on, seeming as though he was terrified. He looked from Murasakibara to the hoop then back to him. He's more terrifying than when they were in middle school. Kise started shaking. He couldn't stop himself, and he just raked a shaking hand through his smooth blue hair.

"D-D-Due to the broken hoop,"

 _Even the referee is stuttering,_ He thought.

"…the game will be put on hold until it can be replaced!"

The two teams returned to their benches, even now, though the evidence was right before their eyes, they couldn't believe that a high school first year broke the hoop.

"Holy shit," Koganei started. "If he's on offense and we can't stop him, what are we going to do?"

"We'll shoot as many threes as possible." Kise said.

"Huh? But ―"

"Maybe we could use the same tactic as in the Touou match. Hyuuga-senpai stays at his spot, while Izuki-senpai and I get the ball to him."

"And since Hyuuga-kun doesn't need to be comfortable when shooting, even if he has someone blocking him, it'll still go in." Riko said.

"But Murasakibara is fast, won't he ―" Kawahara said.

"Which is faster? Murasakibaracchi's legs or the Cyclone pass?" Kise said. He then looked to the clock. "Five minutes left, and we're behind by two threes."

"That's not bad, isn't it?" Fukuda asked.

"It's terrible," Riko said. "With Murasakibara unstoppable on offense and defense, getting in shots would be hard."

"But if push comes to shove, couldn't we make Kise shoot?" Kagami asked.

"The Phantom Shot can't be done for three points. Shooting like Midorimacchi, I have to get comfortable. In that aspect, Hyuuga-senpai is a far better shooter than I."

"Shit." The redhead swore. "Then, we'd have to leave the shooting to Captain then?"

"Why do you make it sound like that?" Hyuuga started, "Give me the ball anytime, I'll sink them!"

"Kise-kun, if you can shoot, take the shot." Riko said. He nodded. "Hyuuga-kun, stay at the three point line. Izuki-kun, you know what to do. Kagami-kun and Teppei, keep the defense running."

"Hai!"

After a couple more minutes, the hoop was restored and the game restarted with Seirin in Yosen's court. Hyuuga went to his spot, while Kise stayed close to the centre circle. The others were concentrated in the paint area, Izuki had the ball. He then passed to Hyuuga but then Kobayashi managed to steal the ball and headed down court with it. Kagami chased after him, and in the moment that he passed to Okamura, Kise stole the ball and did a cyclone pass to Hyuuga.

Without hitch, the captain sank a three.

Yosen quickly retrieved the ball and once Murasakibara got it, he thundered down the court, pushing past the Seirin players as though they weren't there. When he reached to the net, Kagami and Kiyoshi jumped to block him, but his dunk had too much force. They were blown away yet again.

Kiyoshi tried to get up but ended up on his fours, he couldn't believe what was happening. Something similar had happened in middle school and the horrid memories were resurfacing.

A hand then stretched out to help him up and he took it. "Thanks." He said, thinking that it was one of his teammates. But to his astonishment, it was Murasakibara.

"This is reality." He said as he hauled him up. "Unable to do anything, you ran out of strength. If you're benched, you'll just die inside. No matter how you struggle, Seirin will lose, _Kiyoshi_. How do you feel? Did you have fun playing basketball?"

Kise was pissed. So too was Kagami.

"Shut the fuck up!" Kagami started.

"You bastard!" Kise shouted. He stormed over to the two and looked up at Murasakibara with fierce eyes. "Kiyoshi-senpai didn't run out of strength, he's far from it! You can say the rest of us are running out but Kiyoshi-senpai is like our pillar of strength! Who are you to say that him?!" he then continued. "If you're looking for a fight, come at me, I'll definitely fuck you up." He snarled.

"I'm ready for you anytime as well." Kagami said.

Murasakibara stood there unable to utter a single word. 'Kuro-chin' just cursed. 'Kuro-chin' just called him a bastard. 'Kuro-chin' just shouted. The same soft spoken Kuro-chin from Teikou who didn't have the vocal ability to raise his voice, who would never curse as he always reprimanded Mine-chin whenever he did it…

"Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara said aloud.

"What is it?" Kise snapped. He then walked off heading to Izuki. When he reached the point guard, Izuki flinched as the killing intent coming from his small body was worst than when they were at the camp.

"Izuki-senpai," he said.

"Yes?"

"Let's do this with Kagamicchi."

"Ah, yeah." He replied. He watched as Kise walked off, he literally felt as though the smaller boy was angrier than he was. Izuki then put on a smile as he walked to the two boys. He placed his hand on Kagami's shoulder.

"Just do what you have to with Kise; I'll get the ball to you two."

As for Kiyoshi, he stood in shock. When Murasakibara had said those words to him, he felt like giving up but then Kise, a player from another team originally, stood up for him. And Kagami, his kouhai was willing to take on that giant in his stead. Somehow, it gave him strength and this time he was determined that he'd help Seirin to win.

Yosen's players knew that something was coming. Looking at 'Kuroko' they could tell that previously, he wasn't playing to the best of his abilities. But Kobayashi was the worst affected. Since 'Kuroko' marks him, he knew that it would be worst this time around.

The game resumed, Kiyoshi passing the ball to Izuki who then passed to Kise. Copying Aomine, Kise then dashed towards Yosen's yet, blowing past their defenders as though they were nothing. Murasakibara saw this and wondered if that was really Kuro-chin. But he prepared himself to stop his shot anyway.

When Kise reached up to him, he stopped and simply threw the ball into net. Wordlessly, he turned and made his way back into Seirin's half.

Another time when Seirin got the ball, the moment it was passed to Kise, the boy would then demolish Yosen's defense with his speed, sometimes with his coordination and speedy passes with Izuki as well. During this time, the two had incorporated Kagami, and this proved to be a lethal combination. With their speed and precision passes, before anyone knew it, Kagami was dunking.

They then gone on with their plan of using a similar tactic to that of the Touou match, being that Hyuuga stayed rooted at the three-point line ready to shoot anytime. However, what Yosen didn't notice was that Kise was not the one who would be making the most shots. He only acted as a decoy.

Getting the ball from Izuki, Kise would usually dribble further to seem as though he was making for the basket. Murasakibara and the others would then try to stop him, but Izuki would always be in close vicinity. With their unusual passes, within no time, Hyuuga had the ball ready to shoot.

But Yosen was not to be trifled with. With Kise now focusing on offense, whenever Yosen had the ball in Seirin's court, he was always closer to the centre-circle so that getting the ball to Hyuuga from Izuki can be quick.

That meant Kobayashi was free to do what he wanted. It was then that everyone saw what he could really do. Kagami was the one who marked him in the space of Kise, as they didn't want to leave anything to chance.

When Fukui had passed the ball to him and when he received it, he immediately went into a shooting form. But the moment Kagami jumped to block, he went for a drive instead.

He had faked.

Luckily, Kagami was fast enough to catch him back, so when he shot the ball, Kagami was able to knock it down. For a minute or so, Kagami and Kobayashi were at it, while Kiyoshi and Murasakibara were under the net.

It was particularly difficult for the boy dubbed the Iron Heart, as Murasakibara's strength far outweighs his. But this didn't deter him from protecting Seirin's basket couple times. A few times, whenever the ball rebounded (either Fukui shot the ball or Kagami's fingers managed to graze Kobayashi's shot), Kiyoshi managed to grab the ball before Murasakibara does. He'd then pass it to Izuki.

Everyone was appalled at Seirin's fighting's spirit. They were actually the first school to breach the Shield of Aegis, as during the rounds, they had completely shut-out their opponents.

"Izuki-senpai, do you have a minute?" Kagami asked their point guard when he retrieved the ball.

"Sure."

"I'd like to be the point guard."

"Eh?!"

When they headed into Yosen's half of the court, Kagami took on Fukui much to the boy's annoyance. First Izuki was the point guard, then Kiyoshi, now Kagami. He found it really annoying. He then passed Fukui by a crossover and then drove towards Murasakibara. He jumped to make them think that he was going to shoot, thus making Murasakibara jump as well.

In that moment, he then twists and passed to Kise who had Liu marking him. Without even sparing a second, the boy passed it to the net, Kagami catching it and slamming it down.

Another time after Yosen scored, Kagami once more made his way towards Murasakibara with the ball. Quickly, as Izuki ran pass towards the net, Kagami then passed to the point guard who jumped to make a layup. However, being quick as always, Murasakibara was behind him, jumping for the block. But, using his eagle eyes, Izuki then passed the ball backwards to Kagami aerially. Since the boy was already jumping, it landed firmly in his palms and he once more slammed it into the net against Murasakibara.

However, with a minute remaining and both teams were tied at 80 points, it seemed as though the players got even more ferocious. Especially Murasakibara.

He thundered to Seirin and due to his size, they couldn't do anything to stop him. No matter how many people were on him, he still moved on like they weren't there.

"Shit," Kise swore when he saw him dunk the ball. And what was worse, Okamura and Liu were guarding Hyuuga. Getting the ball to captain is easy but he won't be able to catch it due to him being far shorter than they were.

He had to do it himself.

When Izuki sent the ball into his direction, he caught it and then dashed down the court. However, Murasakibara caught him up and blocked his way.

"I won't let you go Kuro-chin." He said.

"And I won't let you stop me." When he said that, Kise then performed a high speed dribble. Trying to stop him, Murasakibara didn't realize what he was doing until he noticed that he was falling.

Ankle break.

When he fell to the floor, Kise dashed towards the net, Okamura leaving Hyuuga to stop the blue-haired teen. But, the moment he got in front of him, Kise bounced the ball to his left but turned right. Seeing this, Okamura was confused that he was frozen. Quickly, Kise grabbed it and dashed to the net where he then made a shot.

They were now tied at 82 points.

 _He's just like Aomine! He blew past their defense like it wasn't even there!_ Riko thought in shock.

 _Somehow, I'm glad he's here with us!_ Hyuuga thought.

Up in the audience, Touou were at a loss for words. Imayoshi's eyes bulged at the sight, while the others mouths hung open. They all got a taste of what he could do in their match, but seeing him playing with such fiery intensity, made Aomine leaned forward in shock.

However, Murasakibara was still on the floor.

His hair covered his face, casting a shadow. What neither player noticed was the light in his eyes. It was when he got up, that's when they saw it. Everyone's eyes widen with shock.

Zone.

The moment Murasakibara got the ball from an overhead pass from Okamura, all of Seirin's players could feel it. As he made his way towards them, it was almost as though they could see his purple aura oozing out of his body.

 _We can't stop this!_ Izuki thought.

The giant went for the dunk but Kagami was determined to try and stop him. He jumped for the block and managed to get his hands on the ball. However, the strength that Murasakibara has was enough to overpower him with ease.

Murasakibara slammed the ball in, and luckily this time, the hoop didn't break. Kagami fell to the floor, but was quickly helped up by Kise and Kiyoshi.

"Damn that monster. What do we do now?" He panted.

"I would like to say that one of us has to go in the zone but I can't." Kise said. "All we have to do is to make our shots and keep the ball away from him."

"Sounds easy." Kiyoshi smiled. "Let's do this!"

"Is it just me or he is trying to cheer us up?"

"He's trying to cheer us up."

Once more, Seirin had the ball and Izuki then passed to Kagami who then passed it to Kise. Within a blink, Murasakibara was in front of the small boy. Kise then bounced the ball through the giant's legs and dashed around him to retrieve it. But sadly, as he made his way towards the net, Murasakibara blocked him yet again. He looked like a massive wall in front of Kise, the boy looked around to see who was free, but sadly, everyone was heavily guarded.

 _This isn't good._ Kuroko thought as he leaned forward in his seat. _This is why I didn't want him to move from under the net._

Over by the Touou section, even Aomine noticed it. _Things are looking hopeless._ He thought as he narrowed his eyes. _What will you now, Tetsu?_

Kise continued to bounce the ball, searching for some kind of opening. Even on the bench, Riko and the other players were also praying as well. However, that prayer was left unanswered. Murasakibara knocked the ball from Kise's hand due to him being distracted.

He then sprinted down the court, Kise following.

"Kise! Kise!" he heard the bench cheering. _I'm not even an original member of their team and they're cheering me on. Jeez…_ He thought as he made his way behind Murasakibara. _I'll try not to disappoint._

When Murasakibara went into shooting form, Kise made it in front of him. Timing it just right, the moment he released the ball, Kise jumped, slamming the ball back down. Luckily, Izuki was there to catch it, and without hitch the boy then passed it back to Kise. Seeing what this meant, Kagami and Kiyoshi tried their best to keep Murasakibara away from the boy, while Izuki and Hyuuga tried to handle the rest.

Being swift, Kobayashi was already upon Kise before he could make the shot. Drawing back, Kise then bounced the ball instead of shooting.

"I know you're a dangerous shooter, that's why I'm not letting you go." Kobayashi said.

"Aww, and here I thought that you were the kind one on this team." Kise said playfully, but deep down, he knew that he had to do something. Glancing at the clock, he nearly had a heart attack.

It was thirty seconds remaining. They needed a three, _now._

Inhaling and exhaling, Kise dribbled the ball then paused. He then picked up the dribble. After two, he then paused again.

 _Hesitation?_ Kobayashi thought. However, this time when Kise picked up the ball, he dashed away from the boy, but he was in hot pursuit. Putting the camp's training to use, Kise used all the power his small legs could muster and sprinted from Kobayashi and the others. Reaching into Yosen's half, he was about to make a shot but he saw a flash of purple dash pass him. In that moment, he knew that making the three would be a terrible idea.

Kise then went into the paint area but he was blocked by Murasakibara. But he didn't let that stop him.

"Go Kise!" the cheers from the players both on and off the court made his chest constrict.

_Don't worry, I'll make the shot._

And so he did. He used the Phantom Shot, and like previously, the ball was unable to be stopped by Murasakibara.

Seirin and Yosen were now tied on 84 points with ten seconds remaining.

Murasakibara dashed off, Okamura retrieved the ball and made a pass to Fukui.

"Shit!" Kasamatsu shouted. "If this gets to Murasakibara, Seirin will lose!"

"No, it won't." Kuroko said.

In the instant he said this; they saw Kise appear from nowhere and stole the ball sending it rocking to Kiyoshi. Murasakibara then dashed back towards them the moment Kiyoshi passed the ball back to Kise.

As Kise got into the form for the Phantom Shot, Murasakibara was there to block him. His hand seemed to arch over the boy, his head blocking the net. But, Kise shot the ball anyway.

 _I can't touch the ball at this height?_ He wondered in shock.

"Atsushi! It's a pass!" Kobayashi shouted.

But it was too late. The ball was already on its way to Kagami's palm in which the boy dunked. When he landed he looked to Kise,

"I can't break it after all."

"Well, this isn't Kaijou." He chuckled.

The buzzer sounded. Seirin and the crowd erupted in cheers, Kaijou couldn't help it either. Kuroko threw his head back and sighed a relief. He had clutched the area at his heart when he saw Murasakibara loom over Kise.

The Seirin players converged on the court, cheering together. Hyuuga threw a hand over Kise's shoulder and ruffled his hair, Kagami and Izuki gave each other high-fives. Kiyoshi showing a thumbs up to the bench.

"Game Over! Eighty six to Eighty four, Seirin!"

"Thank you very much!"

Kiyoshi had then walked over to Murasakibara with a smile on his face. "Murasakibara," he called out to the boy. "Let's play again sometime."

"What?" he drawled. "No way. I'm quitting basketball. It wasn't fun. It's already a boring enough sport. There's no reason to keep playing after I've lost." He then walked away.

"I see. I guess it can't be helped then. If that's how you really feel." Kiyoshi then said, Murasakibara heard his words and stopped for a second and then walked over to the bench.

"Is he really going to quit?" Kagami asked Kise.

"I don't think so. I don't think he hates basketball to do that." He answered.

Up in the audience, he looked at 'Tetsuya' with calculating eyes. Remembering what Daiki and Shintarou had told him the other day, he was beginning to understand what they meant and why they felt the way they did.

"That was a fierce match, right Sei-chan?" Mibuchi said.

"Yes it was. But to think Atsushi would have lost to Tetsuya." He said. He then smirked.

"I wonder who our opponent will be for the finals." Kotarou said as he looked back at the court. "Kaijou and Seirin both have monsters on their teams."

"It doesn't matter, defeat is not an option."

_xxxx_

"Good job today!" Riko congratulated her boys. "You did well!"

"By the skin of our teeth." Kagami mumbled. "Honestly, when I saw Murasakibara in the zone, I thought that that was it for us."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Kise sat on the bench with his back leaning on his locker, and drinking water. The only thing he could manage was a smile on his face; they had made it to the semi-finals. But as soon as the smile appeared it disappeared as he remembered that they would be facing Kuroko. It isn't that he didn't want to play him; he just knew that it would be ten times worst than this match.

When everyone was ready to leave (Kise wore his Kaijou jacket), they then mobilized out of their locker room. They walked the hallway, but as soon as they came to a corner, they ran into Kaijou.

"Ryou-chan!" Kise greeted as he made his way to the blond. He was somewhat upset that he couldn't call Kuroko 'Tetsucchi' due to the other members and their coach being there.

"Seirin?" Nakamura said.

"Ah, that was a splendid match, Aida-san!" Moriyama started. "As expect of a goddess ―" he broke off as Kasamatsu elbowed him in his side.

Riko only raised an eyebrow at their antics, but she was used to Moriyama calling her a goddess from the training camp. The two teams then fell into chatter as they made their way to the exit, Takeuchi sighing as he felt like he was babysitting.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a planet." Kuroko groaned out.

Kagami looked at him with shock. "Seriously!? A planet?!"

"I feel the same. That Yosen match took every bit of my energy." Kise drawled. He then turned to Riko. "Coach, could we get something to eat? I can't go home like this, I won't make it."

"Aida-san, we were actually going to stop by a nearby restaurant. You can join us." Takeuchi offered.

"Thank you." She said.

Once more, the two teams moved off, chatting as they did so. At one point, Kise asked Kuroko carry him, which the boy happily did. Kise climbed onto Kuroko's back, resting his chin on the boy's shoulder. No one commented.

_xxxx_

"Dai-chan, cheer up!" Momoi said. "There's always Winter!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Touou were sitting in a restaurant, and were about to order. The team had livened up; it seems that watching the Seirin match made them partially forget the pain of defeat. _Partially._ After they had ordered, Aomine looked outside. He rested his chin on his palm and sighed.

 _Defeat really is a painful feeling,_ He thought. _But somehow, I wished that I could have played Kise longer._

Just then, he saw Seirin and Kaijou walk pass. He made an indescribable sound of surprise which caused the rest of Touou to look outside as well. Immediately, they were thrown into gloominess. Then, Kise and Kuroko walked pass. Kise was still on Kuroko's back, Kagami had been nice enough to carry the two's bags.

 _Tetsu is on Kise's back?_ Aomine thought in shock. _Just what kind of blackmail did Kise have?_

As for Momoi, she too was shocked at the sight, as she remembered her time in Teikou; Kuroko would never have gotten on anyone's back. Not even Aomine's and they were best friends at the time.

"Excuse me!" they then heard a gruff voice call out. "Sir, do you have enough seats?" It was Takeuchi.

The man then looked at the amount of people and nodded. It was then that Riko noticed that Touou were sitting and staring at them. Remembering what happened with Midorima, she then turned to Hyuuga.

"Get the others to sit except at the table beside Aomine-kun." She whispered. He complied as he didn't want to face her wrath later on. Quickly, he got the boys and Kaijou in seats, while Riko distracted Kagami, Kise, Kuroko and Kasamatsu.

"Let's take a seat, shall we?" she then said. She then walked off to her seat which Hyuuga had saved, leaving the four boys. There was only one table left, and that was beside Aomine's. Kasamatsu didn't mind at all, but when he saw the look on Kagami's face, he knew that the redhead shouldn't be on the seat beside Aomine.

"All right, let's go sit." He said lazily. And so, it ended up that on the seats nearest to Aomine and Momoi, were Kuroko and Kise and beside those two were Kasamatsu and Kagami.

"This is exciting! This time I'll video!" Riko whispered with excitement.

"Aominecchi, Momocchi, hello." Kuroko greeted.

"Good evening." Kasamatsu said. Kagami was seething in his seat, not only because he was so close to Aomine, but the fact that Riko made everyone else take up the other seats.

"Good match, Ki-chan, Tetsu-kun!" she perked. Aomine didn't say anything. Instead, he stared at 'Tetsu'. The piggy-pack left him stunned but seeing the jacket on him left him speechless. Even Momoi had noticed it as well, and raised an eyebrow.

"Tetsu," Aomine started, coming out of his daze. "What's with the jacket? That's Kise's isn't?"

Touou noticed that Seirin and Kaijou seemed to have stopped. All eyes looked at their table, wondering how the boy will answer the question. They knew that Kise can be blunt to the point that it seems worse than Kuroko but at the same time, his playful and mischievous side was lethal as well.

"Yes, it's Ryou-chan's." He answered. Kuroko then opened up the menu, and was looking through. However, he was blatantly ignoring the conversation. The look on both Seirin and Kaijou's faces were enough to tell Touou that something was up…or at least something was about to come up.

" _Ryou-chan_?" Momoi asked, emphasizing it too much. "Is that…?" she then remembered when they visited him in the hospital, he said that 'Ryou-chan' is his best friend. _He was talking about Ki-chan at the time?_

"Kise Ryouta-chan."

Trying not to seem upset at the '-chan', Aomine then asked, "Then why are you in his jacket?"

"Hmm," he started. Kagami leaned forward with a hand above his top lip, it wasn't covering his entire mouth, and Kasamatsu looked at Kise intently, as if trying to tell the boy something. Kise didn't get the message though. "Because the whole boyfriend shirt thing is dull, so I decided to go with boyfriend's jersey instead." He mumbled beneath his breath as he turned his face away.

Kagami choked on his own spit. Kasamatsu started pretending to cough. Kuroko continued to look through the menu fighting down a blush.

"Eh? What was that?" Aomine asked. He really couldn't hear it, due to him turning his head away as well.

"I said, because I was cheering for Kaijou."

"Oh." Momoi said. "I thought I heard something else."

"Hmph. Why him and not me? Is it because I beat you in our match?"

"It is because you were an arrogant player who needed to be taught a lesson and it just so happened that we were matched-up against each other." Kuroko answered with supreme nonchalance. "Obviously, he'd choose to root for me."

 _You omitted the fact that you're his boyfriend though…_ Was the unison thought of the other players.

"Oohh, this is getting interesting." Riko said.

"What?!" Aomine roared.

"I know you must still be upset and sour that you just lost Aomine-kun, but please don't shout." Kise said.

"But he's behaving as he wasn't the same as me!"

"I knew that I was arrogant, and conceited. Thank God for our practice match." Kuroko then continued. "At least I wasn't going around saying that 'the only one who can beat me is me' and calling Kagamicchi a dim light and all that."

"You…!"

"Calm down, Dai-chan!" Momoi said.

"You may burst a blood vessel." Kise then said.

"Tsch, just because you beat me you're ―"

"Me…beat you?" Kuroko said, putting down his menu. "Don't be ridiculous. Kaijou is the one that beat you. If it were a one-on-one, you would have demolished me. I'm nowhere near your level."

The restaurant seemed to have fallen into complete silence at that statement. For the ones who knew about the switch, that statement was entirely true. Aomine looked at the blond in shock, as he admitted than he was better even he won the match.

Takeuchi and Harasawa had sat at the same table but they still heard their conversations.

"Kise is the modest type isn't he?"

"Yeah, that and he's a godsend."

"How so Gen?"

"Don't call me that, Katsu." He frowned. He then continued, "He's a strategist. Not only can he play basketball, he specializes in strategical warfare. He's frightening."

Harasawa looked at the blond in shock. _That's a dangerous combination._

Touou's order then came, and then Seirin and Kaijou placed their order. When Seirin and Kaijou's order came, the chatter seemed to have died down a bit as everyone was busy stuffing their faces. Touou was appalled at the amount of food that Kagami had ordered. For a model, 'Kise' ate a lot and with such a small body, 'Kuroko' as well.

The hour went by quickly, most people have finished eating. Kuroko felt thirsty, so he decided to go to a convenience store. Kise decided to follow him. They left their bags as the store was nearby.

They ended up passing a street ball court; conveniently, there was a ball there. Kise then dashed towards the ball and picked it up. He then dribbled towards the net, where he made a dunk.

"On Thursday, we're going to be enemies." He started.

"Yeah, only for forty minutes though."

"Hmm, if people knew about our relationship, I think they'd dub our match: _Lover's Spat,_ _basketball style_ or something."

"What?" Kuroko laughed.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that you won't show any mercy in our match." he said as he bounced the ball.

"No I will not."

"See? Well, neither will I." Kise smirked. He then released the ball and went to stand on it. He wobbled a couple times before he was able to stay still.

"Ryou-chan, be careful." Kuroko said. "After our practice match, you were doing something dangerous as well on the bench that time. Do you like doing dangerous things?"

"It's not that dangerous. It's just catching my balance."

"You may fall." He deadpanned.

"Hai, hai." He said. He then made an attempt to step off the ball, but it rolled, causing the blue-haired boy to slide. Since Kuroko was standing in front of him, he crashed into the blond, sending the two falling to the ground. Kuroko landed on his back, while Kise was on top of him.

Both blushed furiously.

They then fell into an awkward silence. They looked at each other without saying anything until Kise had then used his hands to steady himself on his knees but he had yet to come off Kuroko to stand. The other boy then propped himself up onto his elbows and unintentionally their faces came too close.

Heat rose to their faces but they remained as they were.

Then slowly, as if on instinct, they drew closer to each other, until they kissed. Kuroko straightened up so that he was sitting while Kise sat on him. As they deepened their kiss, Kuroko wrapped one arm around Kise's waist and the other braced on the ground to prevent him from falling backwards. While the other boy placed one palm on the ground, his other hand decided to roam. He pushed his hand up Kuroko's t-shirt and around the boy's back, gently trailing his fingers on his smooth skin. Kuroko gasped, Kise then decided to use this chance to claim his mouth.

Kise then trailed his fingers downwards Kuroko's back making the boy shudder from the tingling sensation. Kuroko's arm that was keeping him up became weak and thus the two were once more on the ground. But this didn't stop their kiss.

Kise then trailed from Kuroko's lips over to the nape of his neck. When Kise did this, Kuroko felt a jolt, something run down his spine that made him hold on into Kise's hair. The blue-haired boy then reached Kuroko's collarbone and sucked on his flesh to purposely leave a mark.

Not wanting to rip out Kise's hair he then held onto the jacket instead, even though one side of it was falling of the smaller boy. Kise then eased up and pulled Kuroko's shirt upwards.

""R-Ryou-kun…" Kuroko managed to utter out.

"Shh…" Kise said putting his index on his lips. "Relax and just trust me…"

_xxxx_

"Where the hell did those two disappear to?!" Hyuuga roared. "This is the second time that Kuroko has gone missing!" Seirin, Touou and Kaijou were bundled in front of the restaurant, waiting until Harasawa and Takeuchi came out. Some of the players were conversing with each other while few where trying to figure out where Kise and Kuroko was.

"When was the first?" Kasamatsu asked.

"Kise kidnapped him after the practice match and we didn't know."

Kaijou sweat-dropped. _It started from then, huh?_ Was their unison thought.

"I'm going to call their phones." Riko said. She then dialed Kuroko's number first, and it rang until it reached voicemail. She tried it again, it was the same thing. She then tried Kise's number, and it too went to voicemail. "I'm not getting any of them."

Kiyoshi then noticed the bags Kagami had. "Aren't those Kise and Kuroko's bags, Kagami?"

"Oh, yeah." He said.

"This is just great! They left their bags and let me guess, their phones are in there." Izuki sighed. Kagami and Kiyoshi then went through the contents and indeed found the two phones.

"Damn it, did Kuroko forget that we can't go home until we find him?!" Kagami then said.

"Tetsu disappeared?" Aomine said. "Some light you are, losing your shadow so easily."

"It's not me! It's that bastard, Kise!" Kagami roared. "This is the second time that he's kidnapped him!"

"Second time? Kidnapped?"

Without either boy having their phones, Riko decided to give them ten minutes. If they haven't returned by then, they'd go search for them…but then she made a fist, swearing that when she finds them, she's going to put them in a Boston Crab Hold.

Six minutes later, the two boys were seen coming from around the corner, Kuroko ('Kise' in some cases) looked extremely red while Kise ('Kuroko' in some cases) looked like a ball of sunshine.

"Where are you two coming from?" Koganei asked.

"A street ball court." They answered together.

Wordlessly, Riko dashed towards 'Kise' and put him in the crab hold while Kagami and Kobori held 'Kuroko' so that he wouldn't escape. As Touou looked on, they had newfound fear for Seirin's coach, and compassion for the Seirin players. When she was done with 'Kise', she then moved onto 'Kuroko'.

"Next time, don't disappear without telling anyone! Quadruple training! Both of you!" she then turned to Kasamatsu. "Make sure he does it."

The captain nodded.

Only groans could be heard coming from the two who were on the ground. Slowly, they then got up when everyone started walking off, the coaches exiting the restaurant. Aomine remained as he wanted to talk to the two about what's been bothering him. But in the moment that 'Kise' got up, 'Kuroko' held onto his shirt to steady his feet. Due to this, 'Kise's' shirt was tugged downwards, revealing his collarbone…and the mark. His eyes widen with shock.

 _That's a hickey…and it wasn't there when we were playing today. Was it?_ Aomine thought as he stared at 'Kise'. _And it's freakin' huge. Shit._

"Oi, Kise," he said.

"Hmm?" Kuroko answered.

"Is that a hickey right there?" he asked as he pointed towards the spot.

When he said this, everyone looked around so fast, they could've gotten whiplash. The moment Kuroko looked down and saw it, he then turned to Kise, forgetting that others were there.

"Next time, don't put it where people can see." He said.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the mood and I didn't think that it would've been visible."

Silence.

Aomine looked like he was about to faint, he was as pale as a ghost. Momoi looked shocked out of her wits; Seirin and Kaijou's regulars drag their hands over their faces and sighed. Touou were slack-jawed and their coaches just looked at the two boys.

Looking at the ace, Kagami walked to him to take him out of his daze.

"Aomine." No answer. "Aomine." Still no answer. "Wake the hell up!" he then punched him in his face, it wasn't too hard to cause a fight between them. Aomine snapped back to reality and looked at the two.

"Tetsu…what-what-what…" he couldn't even make a sentence.

"In case you're wondering, he's my boyfriend." Kise bluntly said. "It isn't strange to do that to him right?"

Kuroko turned his face to the left to hide the blush. Momoi fainted but Wakamatsu caught her in time. Aomine was frozen with shock at that bold statement.

"Kuroko…" Kasamatsu started, there was a visible vein pop on his head.

"Kise…" Hyuuga said, entering into clutch mode.

The two captains then attacked the two boys, Kasamatsu kicking Kuroko and shouting all manner threats that may happen in training, Hyuuga was the same…only his threats were worse.

"You made us worry our asses off!" Kasamatsu shouted as he kicked Kuroko. The blond couldn't move as he had been kicked to the ground.

"Senpai!" Kuroko wailed out. "I'm sorry!"

"And all you two were doing were giving each other hickies!? I'll kill you both!" Hyuuga roared. "Have you no shame?!"

"I'm sorry Captain! I couldn't help myself!" Kise shouted in defense. That made it worse.

"What was that?!" the captains snarled.

"Hyuuga-kun, Kasamatsu-san," Riko said, "Skin them alive."

"Sure." The two boys said. They then moved off to their kouhais but then they heard a clap.

"It's getting late. We should be going now." Harasawa said, changing the subject quickly.

"Kill your kouhais after Inter-High tournament, please." Takeuchi said.

The teams then moved off, Kiyoshi and Izuki tried to calm down a fuming Hyuuga while Moriyama and Kobori tried to soothe Kasamatsu. Kaijou and Seirin seemed normal minus the fact that Riko was oozing out a dangerous red aura. Kise and Kuroko were behind dragging themselves after their captains' beating.

Wakamatsu carried Momoi while Susa and Imayoshi carried an incapacitated Aomine. But for them and the rest of their team, they were beginning to question the sanity of Kaijou and Seirin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	39. Inter-High Semi-final: Kaijou vs. Seirin

Chapter 39.

...

Kuroko walked through Kaijou's gate dragging his feet, as he was sore from the match yesterday. To avoid Kise's usual horde of wildcats, Kuroko goes to school with a mask on his lower face and a hoodie to hide his hair. He keeps his head down so that no one can see his face. When he reached the bathroom, he then took off his disguise and proceeded to class.

_xxxx_

The Kaijou basketball club was left in shock. Before them on the whiteboard, was 'Kise's' analysis of the Seirin team as a whole and then the breakdown of the team further by players. 'Kise' left no stone unturned, as he even analyzed the bench players from their time at the camp.

After the list of Seirin's players' strengths and weaknesses, they saw something that shocked them. 'Kise' had wrote _'what if Kagami or Kuroko or both went into the zone'_ , and beneath that was ' _how to counter'_ …however, it was left blank; the only thing there was a huge question sign. That meant, should that happen on court, they won't have a plan to counter it with.

But apart from that, part of Kasamatsu felt sorry for Seirin. Kuroko was actually merciless; it seemed to the captain that he was even more ferocious than previous. What was even worse, Kuroko analyzed their movements, that is, what Seirin usually does in certain situations and how to counter it. In addition to that, Kuroko also broke down their attack and defense patterns and what Kaijou should do, if they encounter any of it.

"You're a monster, Kise." Shinohara said in awe. "I honestly wouldn't want to play against you."

The regulars looked at him and shook their heads. _If only you knew that this is temporary…_

Kuroko only smiled at the boy and then turned to Takeuchi. "I have a plan, but Coach, I'd have to hear what would be your strategy be first."

"But wait, Kuroko can play like Aomine and shoot like Midorima…if he copies them during the match, how will we stop that?" Matsumoto asked.

Kuroko sighed. "I've thought about that. We won't be able to stop him from playing like the miracles, but we can make him play like the one _we_ want."

"Eehh?!"

Kuroko sighed once more. "Kobori-senpai and Nakamura-san, block me with the best of your abilities."

The two boys got up and did just that. Kuroko then went into shooting form pretending to shoot like Midorima. But the two boys jumped for the block.

"As you can see, shooting a three would be unwise." Kuroko said. He then dashed around the two and stopped at the wall. "By putting two defenders there, they were able to prevent me from shooting a three and force me to copy Aominecchi. That's what we'll do when Tetsucchi play like the miracles."

"Holy shit," Nakamura said. "You-you ―" he stopped as he couldn't find the right words. However, Kasamatsu looked at Kuroko with narrowed eyes. He wondered if the reason Kuroko was so merciless in his analysis was because maybe sometime during the match, he may not be able to play against Seirin to the best of his abilities so the others would have to fill that gap.

_Will he be okay?_ He thought. His mind then ran on Kise. _Will any of them be okay?_ He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard Kuroko talking.

"The first half will probably go to Seirin."

"What?!" Takeuchi exploded. "How?"

"Tetsucchi can copy the miracles, more than likely, if we should be caught by surprise like the practice match, then they'll use him for the sole offense. I don't think it will last the entire quarter though. But they'll use him to pull ahead. Then maybe five minutes in, he'll switch to support and coordination with Izuki, making their offense centre around their captain and Kagamicchi."

"That sounds like Seirin for real." Matsumoto said.

"When that happens, we'll just let them have their way, but we'll make our shots once we have the ball. When Tetsucchi reverts to support, we'll break out our fast passes. That'll be Kasamatsu-senpai and me. I'll make some shots myself, but Moriyama-senpai you'll be key in landing those threes."

"Sure. I'll make as much as we need. After all, my goddess will be watching." He cooed.

"But overall, we'll play it cool the first quarter. Call it testing the waters if you may. It may bring us heartache though. If things go as I want, we'll be behind by at max three threes or two."

The boys groaned. "But why?" Kobori asked.

"Because when we start to attack and catch up in points, they'll get flustered and shots will start missing and such. Plus, when that happens, they'll think that we were caught-off by Tetsucchi's copies. That thing is powerful after all." Kuroko continued, "In the second quarter, Kasamatsu-senpai and I will continue with our passes, and so will Izuki-senpai and Tetsucchi. It'll be showdown between us and them mostly. The shooting guards and centres are a given. Plus, Kagamicchi is going to mark me throughout the game."

"You're a beast." Takeuchi said.

"Mou ~ I'm too gorgeous to be called a beast, Coach." he pouted. "I'm just a normal high school boy who just wants to win Inter-High." Kuroko replied. "Anyway, for the third quarter, Seirin will sub out Tetsucchi and put in either Mitobe-senpai, Koganei-senpai, or Tsuchida-senpai. If Aida-san wants to go for an 'unknown factor' so to speak, she'll probably sub in another first year. Maybe Furihata-kun, since he's a point guard. He'll more than likely take Izuki-senpai's space while he takes Tetsucchi's space as the one to circulate the ball.

In the fourth quarter, everything will go back to the first, but, I doubt that Tetsucchi will use the copies right off the bat. If he does, he won't use them consecutively. Their offense will be at full force, Kagamicchi, Hyuuga-senpai and Tetsucchi with Izuki-senpai circulating the ball and stealing." Kuroko exhaled a breath and drank some water from his bottle. "I have thought about formations to counter these, but let's hear what Coach has to say first."

Takeuchi stared at the boy with his gaping like a fish. He was astounded by the boy's analytical skills and he wondered why 'Kise' didn't show this side of him until two weeks before Inter-High. But whatever the case, no one could tell him that 'Kise' was the weakest of the miracles.

_xxxx_

Over by Seirin, they had just finished watching Kaijou's match against Touou, the matches they played in the rounds; Kuroko didn't play at all, so this was the only match that they could analyze him with. Kise sighed deeply; he knew that this match was going to seem like the finals.

"This is going to be tough. Kuroko can take on Aomine one-on-one and what's even worse, he's a strategist." Koganei groaned. "He's going to rip us apart."

"I know," Izuki said. "Honestly, if I didn't know better, I would have thought it was the original Kise playing in that match. Kuroko's a monster."

"But who do you think is more monstrous? Kise or Kuroko?" Hyuuga then asked. "I mean, copying the miracles is powerful and then at the same time, to turn someone who couldn't even dribble into something that can take on Aomine…Kise really is a monster." he then added, "And then there's Kuroko..."

"I really don't know." Tsuchida said. "I think Kise."

"Ahem," Riko said to get their attention. "Aren't you forgetting something Koganei-kun?" Riko smirked. "Just like how Kuroko-kun was originally on our team, Kise-kun was originally Kaijou's. We can use that to our advantage. Plus," she then grinned. "I still have data from the training camp."

"Add to that, their team has one ace, we have two ― Kagami and Kise." Kiyoshi said. "All we have to do is research them thoroughly and play our cards right."

"Exactly. Because you know what will happen to you if you lose this match." she crackled.

"Yes ma'am!"

"What we'll do is that we'll take the early advantage and run with it. More like that's what we need to win. We know that Kise-kun's perfect copy is powerful, so that's what we'll use to get our lead." Riko said. She then looked to Kise. "How long can you do it for? Without collapsing this time."

"I can last an entire quarter. Thanks to the weights training and the camp." Kise replied. "That is if I don't do consecutive copies. If we alternate the offense between me, Kagamicchi and Captain then I'll be fine. But if I were to be the sole offense, then about five minutes."

"Then, that's what we'll do." Riko continued. "In the first three minutes, it's all you Kise-kun. But that means in the rest of the first half, you'll be coordinating with Izuki-kun."

"Hai."

"The third quarter I'll sub you out, so that you can rest for the fourth quarter." She then looked to Kagami. "You'll mark Kuroko-kun until the fourth quarter. In the second quarter and third quarter you and Hyuuga-kun will make up the main force of our offense."

"Yosha! I can't wait to take on Kuroko one-on-one!"

"Kagami, you're too excited." Izuki said.

_xxxx_

Both teams walked on the court, getting ready to warm up. Kaijou was on one side of the court, while Seirin was on the other. It was quiet, eerily quiet. About a minute of both teams making baskets, Kagami decided to walk over to Kaijou.

"Oi, Kuroko," he called out.

"Yes, Kagami-kun?"

"Don't even think about going soft on us. If you do, we're going to crush you."

"Hoh?" Kuroko said, folding his arms across his chest. The other Kaijou regulars looked at the two and shook their heads. If only Kagami knew what Kuroko had in store for them. They then walked over to the two boys with looks of determination on their faces.

"We'll see how that goes, freshman." Kasamatsu said.

Kagami then made a fist in Kuroko's direction. The blond did the same and the two exchanged a fist bump. With a toothy grin, Kagami then returned to Seirin's court.

"Captain," Kise started. He had a shaking hand up. "I'm so excited; I can't wait for the game to start! I'm even trembling from excitement."

"Moron. That goes for all of us." Hyuuga said with a grin. He then looked across to Kaijou. "And it can be said for everyone that is here right now."

The teams then changed out of their t-shirts and into their jerseys after which they made their way onto the court. Kasamatsu and Hyuuga went to greet each other.

"Let's have a good game." Hyuuga said.

"Let's do." Kasamatsu said. He noticed the strength of the handshake. "Good. That's how it should be! Now I can get my revenge without holding back!"

Kiyoshi and Izuki made their way towards the centre to line up when the centre noticed something about the point guard.

"What's wrong Izuki? You're looking a bit stiff."

"Oh? I'm fine. I'm just a bit nervous. If anything, I'm excited just like what Kise said. Until now, the opponent seemed more like an 'enemy' than anything. But now, I'm feeling only a good feeling of fighting spirit that has no ulterior motives." His cheeks then reddened. "I wonder spirits?"

"Izuki…" Kiyoshi said, seeming a bit annoyed at the pun. "That last line was totally unnecessary." He perked up.

"Hey, Koga, gonna change the starting line-up!" Hyuuga shouted to the bench.

"Eh?!" Izuki shouted.

_I'm gonna put more spirit into this. So…_ Kobori thought as he looked at Kiyoshi. He then turned around to address Moriyama.

"Can you stop looking around for a girl that's your type, Moriyama?!"

"I'm counting on you, Mo(ri)yama-san!" Hayakawa shouted. "Do (you) really have the will (to) do this?!"

"The will to do this? Are you kidding me?" Moriyama said. He sounded dead serious. "How much do you think I've looked forward to this day?" he then turned to face them. "I have so much will I haven't been able to see any girls. I'm at a loss."

"That's perfectly fine." Kobori sweat-dropped.

"Mo(ri)yama-san? All right! I'(ll) do (my) best too! I'(ll) totally give it every(thing) I got!"

_He's as incomprehensible as ever._ Kuroko thought as he watched the three. He and the others then went to line-up; it just so happened that he stood in front of Kise. He mouthed 'good luck' to the boy while Kise kissed at him. Kasamatsu and Hyuuga twitched with annoyance.

_Even on the court they're flirting…_ Kagami groaned.

"We will now begin the match between Kaijou High School and Seirin High School. Bow!"

"Let's have a good game!"

The players then got into position, Kobori and Kiyoshi facing off for the tip-off. Diagonally behind Kobori on his right were Kasamatsu and Izuki, while in the same position on his left were Moriyama and Hyuuga. In front of those two were Kise and Hayakawa, and across from them were Kuroko and Kagami.

The referee then threw the ball into the air for the tip-off, both centres jumped. It was a close one, however, Kobori managed to get it to Moriyama first. The shooting guard then passed it to Kasamatsu who then tapped it Kuroko who was already heading towards the net. Kagami was chasing him, but Kuroko didn't let that faze him. The moment he got the ball, Kagami went in front to stop him. This also gave the other Seirin players time to get into their defensive positions.

Kuroko held down his head and smirked.

He then bounced the ball loudly through Kagami's legs; however when it came up off the floor it was directly behind Kagami's back at his right shoulder. The moment the redhead turned around to catch it, his shoulder knocked the ball to the left and into Kuroko's hands when the blond had dashed around him. Swiftly, he made it to the three point line and shot the ball. It went in perfectly.

_Holy shit, what was that pass?!_ Hyuuga thought. He, like the rest of the Seirin team (even Kise) was left in awe.

Kuroko then looked to Kagami. "What you said to me before the game…there was one thing that annoyed me." The look in his eyes was intense. "Who's thinking about going soft on you and when?"

The Kaijou guys then made their way back to their half to defend but as soon as they moved off, they saw the ball crash into their net. They turned to look back and saw Kise in shooting form. Strangely they couldn't help but grin.

_Kuroko's analysis is as scary as always._ Moriyama thought.

Hayakawa went to retrieve the ball and passed the ball to Kasamatsu who sent it flying to Moriyama who already at the three point line. The shooting guard then shot the ball but the moment it was released, Kise knocked the ball away.

_This is definitely a copy of Murasakibara! It's frightening to feel it in person!_ He thought.

Izuki caught the ball and then passed it to Kagami who was already making his way towards Kaijou's net. Kuroko followed him so when he reached into the paint area, Kuroko was already blocking his way.

"I'd never imagined that we'd play basketball like this, Kuroko."

"Neither did I, Kagami-kun."

Kagami then did a crossover to the right and dashed past the blond, ending up dunking the ball. Seeing this, Seirin felt that something was off. However, as much as they wanted to know if Kuroko was alright, now isn't the time.

After this, Seirin's offense, focused largely on Kise, while on defense, he teamed up with Kiyoshi. Kise, who was at the centre circle, got the ball from Izuki and then went into shooting form. Seeing this, Kobori went to block him, but then Kise realized the danger and quickly went for a drive instead.

"Shit, Kise was right. We can make him do whichever copy we want." Shinohara said in shock.

"Yeah, but this strategy pains my heart." Nakamura groaned out. "I'm just itching for the second quarter to start. Not to mention the second half."

As Kise made his way to Kaijou's net, Hayakawa came up to block him. He then dribbled the ball left to right as he came closer to the power forward. He then dribbled quickly, and as Hayakawa tried to follow, he ended up losing his centre of gravity and fell on his butt. Kise then made the shot.

"Sorry about that Hayakawa-senpai," he said as he stretched out a hand to help him up.

"Don't wolly about it Kise." He said.

The game continued like this for three whole minutes, Kise tears through Kaijou with a copy of Aomine at a blistering speed when Seirin's on offense, and when he's on defense, he blocks shots and drives with a copy of Murasakibara.

On the Kaijou bench, the boys and Takeuchi were tearing up inside, but they knew that this was for the best. At first it was a strategy that they had opposed but when Kuroko went through all the other possibilities, they realized that this one had the better outcome, and the least chance of Kise _and_ Kagami entering the zone at the same time.

Up in the audience, Aomine and Momoi were in shock.

"Just what the hell is Tetsu?" Aomine said. "Even Kise can't do anything to stop him."

"But don't you feel that something is wrong with Kaijou?" she asked. "Compared to when they played us, it seems that they're hiding something."

On the court however, Seirin still felt that something was wrong. They knew that Kise's perfect copy is something that's hard to beat, _if_ it can be beaten at all, but Kaijou…they don't seem like they're playing at full strength. As if reading each other's minds, they all looked at Kuroko who was standing by the wing. He was just looking at Kise, half in awe, half in what seemed to be observation.

It was now 6:30 on the clock; Kise had stopped using his copies and started coordinating with Izuki. After Seirin managed to make a three through Hyuuga, Kobori retrieved the ball and then passed it to Kasamatsu. He then tapped the ball to Kuroko who then bounced it back to the captain when he had run on further.

Izuki and Kise looked on, can't believe that Kaijou were breaking out their fast passes now.

By the time Kuroko reached into the paint area, he had the ball but Kagami blocked his way. He smirked at the blond, Kuroko remained blank as usual.

"I won't fall for your tricks again, Kuroko."

"Oh really?" Kuroko said. The moment he said that, he then moved to the left in an attempt to crossover. Kagami still blocked his path. Kuroko then seemed as though he would done a chest pass to Moriyama but Kagami was quick on his feet. He moved to block Kuroko on his right, but the boy still passed the ball. It bounced off the ground and high enough for the shooting guard to catch it. He then went into his bad rotation and sunk it.

"Oh, it seems that you fell prey to my tricks again, Kagami-kun." He said playfully.

"You little bastard…"

"I'm not little anymore. I'm now 189cm tall."

He then followed the rest of the Kaijou guys back to defend; Kagami was more pumped than usual. Kiyoshi retrieved the ball from under the net and passed it to Izuki. Seirin then made their way into Kaijou's half of the court, Izuki at the centre-circle with Kasamatsu, Hyuuga at the left wing with Moriyama, Kagami and Kuroko at the right, Kiyoshi and Hayakawa under the net, Kobori had Kise in the paint.

Using his misdirection, Kise slipped past Kobori the moment Izuki passed the ball in his direction. The blue-haired boy then redirected it to Hyuuga who immediately sunk a three.

However, in the midst of all that, Kuroko had dashed away from Kagami, heading towards Seirin's net. Kasamatsu had retrieved the ball and did a cyclone pass to get the ball to the boy quickly. Kagami chased him down, catching him up. By the time he reached Kuroko, the blond was in shooting form.

"No, Kagami!" Hyuuga shouted. "Slow down!"

However, it was too late. Kagami accidentally crashed into Kuroko who had just released the ball.

"Defense! Foul! White No.10! Three free throws!"

"Sorry, Kuroko." He said as he helped the boy up onto his feet. "I didn't realize how fast I was going."

"Have you forgotten the sprint training that we had to endure? It was to increase our speed." Kuroko deadpanned. "Next time, gauge yourself. You may slip another time and hurt yourself."

Kuroko then made his way to take his shots, while the players got into position should the ball rebound. But Kise knew that that would not happen. He'd drill shooting threes into Kuroko so much that he could shoot in his sleep.

He made all three of them, making Kaijou tie with Seirin on twenty-three points. Once more, Kiyoshi was the one who retrieved the ball, and he passed it to Izuki. They then headed down court, as usual; Izuki stayed closer to the centre circle with Kasamatsu while everyone (except Kise) had gone on further.

Izuki then passed to Kise who had run past him, and the former blond then redirected it to Hyuuga who made a three.

Kaijou then went on the offense; Kasamatsu making his way into Seirin's half of the court with the ball, while the others got into their positions. Kuroko was the closest one to him with Kagami, and Kasamatsu bounced the ball three times after being blocked by Izuki, the blond then dashed off seeming to go into Kaijou's half of the court.

Not knowing what was going on, Kagami followed anyway, as he knew that Kuroko's tricks are quite lethal. He was then thrown out of his thoughts when he saw Kuroko spun around and the ball coming in his direction. Quickly, the boy then pushed the ball back towards Seirin's backboard, Kobori reaching for the ball. The centre got it and dunked.

The rest of the first quarter went on like that, neither team easing up. Izuki and Kise's coordination with Kagami proved lethal, however, Kasamatsu and Kuroko's seemed impeccable, after all, Kuroko _is_ the passing specialist.

Even the audience was stunned by the two teams. Not only was their speed frightening, the rate at which the ball moved as well. Many times, they lost the ball, all they could see were hands moving and then the ball appeared in the hands of whoever was shooting.

Aomine and Momoi were left in awe at this, as they knew Tetsu's passing style. For Momoi, she was shocked that even Kasamatsu and Kise could pass like Kuroko, but it was a given that Izuki could, being that he is the Phantom's teammate. For Aomine, it only made his previous feeling come back. He noticed that the way 'Kise' passed the ball was extremely unique and full of precision and reminded him too much of Tetsu. While on the other hand, 'Tetsu's' passes were unique as well, there was something that seemed different. He narrowed his eyes.

'Tetsu' seemed like Kise and 'Kise' seemed like Tetsu.

He was even remembering the first three minutes of the match. Tetsu doing all those copies…he had never seen Kise copy the miracles before but playing against him proved to him that copying them was possible for the blond. But he was Tetsu's light. He, more than anyone else, knows that Tetsu can't even dribble properly to save his life. Yet he was ankle breaking like Akashi would.

_Could Kise have taught Tetsu how to play like the miracles?_ He shook his head. _That's not possible in such a short space of time. Plus, shooting like Midorima would have taken a long time as he couldn't shoot from day one. And then again, Kise would have done something when he saw Tetsu playing like that…Just what is going on?_

Just then, the buzzer sounded, throwing him out of his thoughts. The first quarter has now ended, both teams tied at thirty points. Aomine heard the people around exhale a breath that they hadn't realized that they were holding.

"It's just the first quarter and they're like this?" he heard one boy say.

"Holy shit, for a while there, I forgot that this was a semi-final!"

Aomine had to admit, Seirin and Kaijou were fierce. It was almost as though they wanted each other's heads.

"Wow, Dai-chan!" Momoi said. "This match is amazing! And it's just the first quarter!"

"Yeah, it is." Aomine agreed. "Hey, Satsuki."

"Hmm?"

"Looking at Kise and Tetsu, do you notice anything…different?"

"Not really. The only thing that I can't believe is that Tetsu-kun can really copy the miracles. He and Ki-chan has the same ability." She then looked serious. "But I want to know why Ki-chan didn't do anything when Tetsu-kun was playing like the other miracles."

"I was wondering the thing same too." He said.

"Tetsu-kun's passes seem different somehow as well. If I hadn't known him as much as I did, I'd say he's normal. But then again, Ki-chan's passes are feeling like Tetsu-kun's."

Aomine looked at her in shock and relief. _So I wasn't the only one._

She then laughed. "Ki-chan is Tetsu-kun and Tetsu-kun is Ki-chan."

"What?!" _I had that thought not too long ago!_

"I was just saying, since Tetsu-kun copies people so perfectly it's like he's the real Ki-chan. While Ki-chan passes so well it's like he's the real Tetsu-kun."

Aomine's mouth hung open. "That isn't possible right?"

"What isn't?"

"For people to switch bodies."

She chuckled. "This isn't a shounen manga, Dai-chan!" she then erupted in full blown laughter.

"Man, I seriously need to talk to those two." He then said. "It's driving me crazy."

"I know! I can't believe Ki-chan stole Tetsu-kun from right under my nose!" she sniffed, even pretended to wipe a tear. "But I will not give up!"

"Satsuki," Aomine started. "Even if you try, that hickey was proof that Tetsu's already Kise's. I mean, _Tetsu gave Kise a hickey._ Isn't that enough?"

She huffed.

Once more the buzzer sounded and both teams made their way back onto the court. It was time for the second quarter. Aomine saw that neither team had changed their line-up, but the moment Kobori threw in the ball to Kasamatsu and he passed the ball to 'Kise' sparks started to fly.

The blond was marked by Kagami and this time, Aomine had to give the redhead credit. Watching him in the Yosen match made him realize that Kagami had potential; it was just unfortunate that he had faced him when he was injured.

He then saw 'Kise' attempt a crossover but he was still blocked by Kagami. However, he then saw 'Kise' do a between the legs dribble and after picking up his dribble, he took a step right and then quickly takes another step left and drove for the basket. Kagami caught him up, and Aomine chuckled at this.

_Persistent bastard,_ He thought. Just then, he saw 'Kise' shift to the right; his back was turned in the direction of Moriyama. Moriyama then went in front of Hyuuga, seeming as though he was blocking Seirin's captain from something. _Could this be…?_

'Kise' then once more did a between the legs dribble, and when the ball bounced off the ground and he caught it with his left hand, he then used the behind-the-back pass to get the ball to Moriyama who had quickly passed to Hayakawa who was free. The power forward then ran up and made a bank shot.

The crowd cheered.

"That bastard Kise," Aomine said aloud. "I don't think he copied that from anyone. He learned."

"Why did you say that Dai-chan?"

"When Kasamatsu passed the ball to him, after dribbling between his legs, he did what NBA calls a ' _euro-step'_ and then after that, he passed to Moriyama using the behind-the-back pass."

"I understand behind the back, but euro-step? What is that?"

"It was invented in European basketball. After picking up his dribble, a player takes a step in one direction and then quickly take another step in the other direction; it is usually done to avoid a defender before attacking the basket." Aomine explained. "This is why I said he couldn't have copied that from any high school boy; that is used in the NBA and other professional leagues."

"Wow," she said in amazement.

They refocused on the match just in time to see Kagami with the ball this time. 'Kise' didn't have any gap in his defense, Aomine experience this before as well. Just then, Kagami attempted a drive to net, which he executed quite easily. However, the moment he had done so, Kasamatsu had knocked the ball from his hands sending it bouncing to 'Kise'. The boy dashed down the court with Kagami in hot pursuit like always, but as soon as 'Kise' reached the centre line, Moriyama passed the two and the blond sent the ball back into Kasamatsu's direction, who was by the wing in their court. Everyone was shocked to the point that they couldn't move but then Kasamatsu pivot on his right leg and released the ball to Moriyama.

Perfectly, he made a three.

"Isn't that Tetsu-kun's cyclone pass?" Momoi asked in shock. "What? How?" She and Aomine looked on to see _Izuki_ gave _Kasamatsu_ a high-five. It seemed as though he was commenting on the pass just now.

Back on the court, Kagami had walked over to Kuroko with a smirk on his face. "You bastard, why can't you do anything normal for once?" He then chuckled. "That had me for a loop there."

Kuroko laughed. "If I were to do anything normal, then basketball won't be as fun." He then looked at the crowd. "Plus, the audience loves antics like these."

"Enough chatter! We're on defense." Kasamatsu said to Kuroko. "We'll be waiting for your offense, Kagami." He smirked.

"You'll be getting it Senpai." The redhead quickly regrouped with the rest of his teammates, and then they once more made their way to Kaijou. Without hesitation, Kuroko was once more blocking Kagami's way, but he suddenly passed to Kise who redirected the ball across to Hyuuga. The captain made his three.

"Yosha!" he screamed.

"Let's take up a notch!" Kasamatsu shouted. Kaijou then dashed off down the court towards Seirin and even in the audience, Aomine and Momoi had a feeling that the match is going to get even more intense.

And so it did.

'Kise' was in front, while Moriyama and Kobori were behind, flanking him on his left and right. At an angle from Kobori was Hayakawa and behind them was Kasamatsu with the ball. Everyone ― the players, the audience and the coaches were appalled at this formation, but as soon as 'Kise' stepped foot into Seirin's half, they saw him stretch his right hand outwards and the ball appeared there. Moriyama had already dashed away to the wing to get ready to shoot.

But everything happened so fast.

The moment 'Kise' received the ball he passed it back to Kasamatsu who sent it rocketing to Moriyama. The shooting guard shot the ball, however, it wasn't a three. Kobori had run up, grabbed it and dunked it.

"An alley-oop!?"

"But I thought that Kise would have stormed in there when he got the ball!"

"But the ball moved so fast! These players are frightening! Are they really high school students?!"

Aomine chuckled when he heard the last statement. Looking back at the match, he had to lean forward in shock.

Kasamatsu made a chest pass to Moriyama but 'Kuroko' came in and stole it, sending it rocketing to Izuki who then made his way down court. But then, Izuki passed it to Hyuuga who without hitch, released the ball to make a shoot. 'Kise' blocked the ball and bounced it to Hayakawa who was nearby. He then passed it to Kasamatsu. Izuki then came up to block his way, but he quickly bounced it to 'Kise' who had dashed passed them with Kagami on his right.

But as soon as 'Kise' had passed them and received the ball, he tapped it to Moriyama who had then bounced it back to Kasamatsu. The captain then attempted a shot, but everyone knows that there's no way it'll go in. He's no Midorima.

Izuki caught the smirk and looked back.

The ball bounced off the rim of the net, Kobori in front of Kiyoshi trying to keep Seirin's centre away from it. Then, a loud shout could be heard and they saw Hayakawa jumped for it. He got the rebound and passed it to Moriyama who made a three.

The match continued, the intensity of the match reaching into the crowds. Kasamatsu, Izuki, Kise and Kuroko were merciless when it came onto passes, the former three going on stealing sprees as well. Kasamatsu and Izuki faced each other, warring for the ball through steals, and making crazy plays with their passes.

As for Moriyama, he made threes as much as he received the ball, which was frighteningly often. Hyuuga as well, he made threes as much as Moriyama did and at one point, it seemed that both teams were having a three-point shoot-out.

Kuroko and Kagami went head-to-head often. They dashed across the court with frightening speeds, dribbling and attempting shots. Whenever their shooting guards were stopped, they made the shots themselves, this part of the match seemed like a dunk fest between the aces, but what is more, neither ace let up. The teams gave them ball often as well, and to the audience, it wasn't a basketball match, it was like watching boxing.

Under the net, Kiyoshi and Kobori did their best as well. Each centre defended his basket well, sometimes either managed to get offensive rebounds and what was worst, they're basically the same height. At one time when Izuki shot the ball and it rebounded, the two managed to catch the ball pushing against it. The two aces ― Kuroko and Kagami then went to help their centres, Kuroko behind Kobori helping him to push it away from their net, while Kagami was behind Kiyoshi pushing it towards the net. With the four boys fighting for it, it ended up flying high into the air, making its way to centre of the court.

The others had dashed towards it, but with Kise being invisible everyone forgot about him so he was patiently waiting for it at the centre. He then ignite pass it to the backboard where Kagami managed to get it due to his abnormal jumping power and slammed it into the net.

"My goodness! Just what is going on down there?!"

"Look! It's the war of the point guards again!"

"Don't forget the battle of the shooting guards!"

"Their aces are fighting it out as well!"

"Even their centres are defending their nets!"

Aomine and Momoi couldn't keep their calm disposition, they mouths hug open with shock. The two found it hard to believe that this was a basketball match and something else. Such ferocity, intensity…he had to admit that this match was far more explosive than his match with Kaijou. And he also noticed, so too did the audience, that this wasn't just a showdown between the aces…the point guards, the shooting guards, the centres…everyone was fighting it out. Aomine felt like he was watching a war unfold before his eyes.

Many times when he seen 'Kise' with the ball and thundering towards Seirin's net and Kagami, it was almost as though the blond had a spear in his hand Kagami had a sword. He shook his head to get rid of his imagination, but failed.

"This match…" he started. "…it's beyond intense. I can't even find the right words to describe it."

"It takes my breath away." Momoi said. "I forget to even breathe couple times."

"Add to that, it's only the second quarter. I can't even imagine what the fourth quarter will be."

"Look!" they heard someone behind them screamed. They refocused to the match in time to see 'Kise' sprinting towards Seirin's net with Kagami close behind. He then turned his back to the ace and then bounced the ball loudly. Kobori then dashed towards them and what happened next, let everyone gasping.

The third time 'Kise' bounced the ball it went high into the air right into Kobori's palm, and the centre flung the ball to the floor where it bounced and ended up right in front Kasamatsu who had run up to them. He then ignite pass the ball to Moriyama who sank it. Kaijou earning another three points.

The gymnasium was silenced.

Kaijou's bench cheered, but everyone else were stunned beyond their wits.

_What was that?! Damn Tetsucchi, you're a demon._ Kise thought in awe. It was when the crowd roused up again that they were brought out of their thoughts.

Kaijou were already in their defensive positions, Seirin making their way towards them, and as always Izuki had the ball. Kagami went in front of Kuroko, and once more the two aces were at it. But the moment Kagami received the ball from Izuki he broke pass Kuroko without dribbling or anything of the sort. This completely took the blond surprise, but when Kagami went to dunk, instead of trying to stop him, Kuroko jogged off towards Seirin's net. He knew Kagami's jumping power was enough to rival the miracles, he'd seen it at the camp.

As soon as the ball bounced once, Kasamatsu spun around, gathering enough momentum. With a hard enough push, the ball was sent flying to Kuroko who was already by the three point line. He received it with ease, but Kagami dashed off to stop the boy.

When Kuroko shot the ball, Kagami managed to catch up to him and his fingers grazed it. The ball landed on the rim of the net, going around, the two boys dashing for it should it fall out. Thankfully for Kaijou, it went in.

"You scared me, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said.

"Oh really? You haven't been scared yet. Just you wait."

Kuroko couldn't help but smirk. He knew that it was definitely going to be the other way around, but he knows not to take them lightly, that's why…

"We haven't even done half of the things that we've planned out for you…" Kuroko mumbled. The redhead had already moved off, so he didn't hear. Seirin were in for a hard time indeed. It was then that the buzzer sounded, the second quarter had ended.

"Their firepower is amazing." Momoi said. "They're on a totally different level."

"Hmph." Aomine chuckled. "You haven't seen anything yet, Satsuki. My gut is just telling me that come the second half, we'll see monsters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	40. Kaijou vs. Seirin: Second Half

Chapter 40

...

In Seirin's locker room, the air was tense. Even though they had done such a good job in the first half, none could shake the feeling that the worst is yet to come. While everyone seemed to be mulling over the match so far, Kagami was the only one who seemed to be excited.

"Kagamicchi, you need to relax." Kise said.

"I can't! Going one-on-one with Kuroko really excites me! Who knew that the little bastard has gotten that good?" the redhead grinned. "And what's worse, I know that's not all he has up his sleeves."

"It's not." Kise replied. "I know what he can do, but, I'm pretty sure he has some tricks that he hasn't shown me before."

"And that's the problem." Hyuuga joined in. "We know what the Kaijou guys are capable of, but Kuroko…"

"Add to the fact that he's a strategist. Even if we know what they're capable of, we just won't know _when_ they're going to use it." Koganei said.

"Don't worry." Riko said. "As long as we go with our plan, we may still be able to take them by surprise again." She then looked to Furihata. "You're up in this quarter, Furihata-kun."

"Eh?" The boy looked shocked.

"But didn't Kasamatsu-san help Furi with his point guarding skills?" Kagami asked.

"It wasn't that long of a time." She replied. "I'm sure Kasamatsu-san doesn't know what Furihata-kun is capable of fully."

"Unknown factor, huh." Kise chuckled. "Tetsucchi is going to be so pissed."

"Why?" Tsuchida asked.

"He hates unknown things that he can't plan against. That and they'll throw a wrench into his plans."

"All the better, we're gonna win this!" Hyuuga shouted. "SEIRIN, FIGHT!"

"YEAH!"

_xxxx_

In the Kaijou locker room, the mood was a little different than that of Seirin.

"So far, so good." Kuroko started. "We'll keep everything as is, as I have said before, Aida-san will most likely bench Tetsucchi. When this happens, Kagamicchi and Hyuuga-senpai will become even more ferocious. Everyone remembers what to do in this half?"

"If Kagami jumps with the ball, don't attempt to block it because of his abnormal jumping power." Kobori and Nakamura responded.

"A(l)ways be re(ady) for (re)bounds!" Hayakawa shouted.

"Make as much threes as possible for the team." Moriyama said.

"Don't forget for your goddess who's watching." Kuroko added.

"How could I?" he smirked.

"Make my shots using the double clutch, and to get the ball rolling." Shinohara smiled.

"I'll get the ball to you or anyone else, go for steals and make my own shots sometimes." Kasamatsu said in a matter-of-fact. "Now that everyone knows what to do, let's win this! LET'S GO, KAIJOU!"

"YEAH!"

_xxxx_

When the two teams made their way back to the court, the crowd seemed to erupt. In the first half there was so much excitement, so they wanted more. Aomine and Momoi looked at the court intently, and noticed that 'Tetsu' was benched. They both figured it, as what he did in the first half was more than enough. But what also shocked them was that Seirin had put out a first year who they had only seen on the bench.

"Is he a secret weapon of some sorts?" Aomine asked. "He sure doesn't look like it."

"I can't say. He hasn't played in any games so I don't have any data on him." Momoi frowned. "We'll just have to wait and ―" she abruptly broke off when her eyes caught Kaijou's bench. "What are they doing?!"

"Huh? Who?"

"Kaijou! Kasamatsu-san is on the bench!"

"Well, well, it seems like both teams are breaking out their hidden weapons." He chuckled.

On the court, Seirin were appalled. When Riko saw this, she couldn't find the right words to say. As for the players, they were in shock.

"They benched Kasamatsu-san? Why?" Kagami asked. He then looked to Kise and noticed that the boy was fidgeting and sweating. "What's wrong Kise?"

"I just can't shake the feeling that we've been in the eye of the storm all this time."

"Well, now that they've benched Kasamatsu-san, there's no one who has an inkling of what Furihata-kun can do. But what concerns me is that boy they've subbed in." Riko said as she looked across to their bench. "He wasn't at the camp so I honestly know nothing about him."

"So, we both had the same idea, huh." Izuki said.

"Let's go!" Hyuuga shouted. "I don't care about who they subbed on and off! We're going to go out there and do our best!"

"Yeah!"

 _Calm down…calm down…_ Furihata chanted in his head to calm his racing heart. _I've been wishing for this for a long time. I'll be okay._ The moment he stepped onto the court, he heard the roars of the crowd and the pressure of the atmosphere. He nearly had a heart attack. _It's something else on the court. Kise and the Senpai were playing in this atmosphere?_

He then walked further in the court, trembling as he did so.

"We're counting on you." Izuki said. "Your mark is gone but I think you'll mark their number six." Izuki then pat the boy on his shoulder.

Furihata then walked pass Kagami. "Let's do our best, Furi." Kagami encouraged.

"Let's do our best? Is that English? Something tasty?" he had finally made his way up to Kaijou's number six who was Shinohara. He was taller than him but his aura made Furihata tremble even more. Takeuchi looked on but couldn't help but to smirk. Even though Shinohara was a point guard, he was only going to mark Seirin's first year for a while until the _true marker_ was ready.

When the Kaijou players saw Furihata made his way onto the court, they felt sorry for him. He stood in front of Shinohara and looked like he was about to faint. They then imagined when the time comes for Shinohara to change marks.

 _He'll die._ Was the unison thought.

The players then got into position, and the game started with a throw in from Seirin. Hyuuga threw the ball to Furihata. He was still shaken up but he made his way towards Shinohara. He then, managed to bounce the ball off his knee (by accident) and failed to catch it.

"Calm down!" Hyuuga shouted. Even Shinohara felt it for the boy. He then caught the ball and dashed off towards Seirin's net, with the other players following. He then stopped abruptly the moment he reached at the top of the circle and faked a pass to Kuroko who had run pass with Kagami following. He passed it to Kobori who then passed it to Moriyama. He was about to make a three when Kiyoshi had blocked him, so he ended up bouncing the ball to Hayakawa who quickly made a bank shot.

"Don't mind!" Hyuuga said. Kiyoshi had retrieved the ball and passed it to Furihata once again, who was still trembling. When Seirin was back in Kaijou's half, Furihata came up once more upon Shinohara, but for now, it seemed as though he had calmed down a little.

"Hey!" Kagami called out to him. He came in his direction, so he passed the ball to him. Kuroko came up to block him, and this got the redhead fired up.

"Let's go, Kuroko!" he grinned.

"Sure, Kagami-kun."

As soon as the redhead went for a drive, Kagami heard Furihata call out. "Kagami, stop!"

"Huh?"

"C-C-C-Colm D-D-Dawn," he stuttered, failing to pronounce the words right.

"What? You're the one who needs to calm down!" He then gave the ball back to Furihata who then passed to Hyuuga. They weren't charging in like before, but they were being cautious. Even Shinohara had picked up on Furihata and realized that this boy was a cautious point guard.

Furihata then passed the ball to Izuki who used the Ignite Pass to get it to Kiyoshi. Kobori jumped to block him, but when Kiyoshi saw that, he immediately passed to Hyuuga who landed a three.

While everyone was cheering, Kise felt uneasy. Kuroko hasn't done anything yet and that was unnerving. _Tetsucchi could've easily stolen the ball from Kagamicchi that time. Why didn't he?_ The blue-haired teen had a sick feeling like when he played Aomine and honestly, he silently prayed that things don't get too bad.

Kaijou on offense, Shinohara had the ball. He then passed the ball to Kuroko who quickly tapped it to Hayakawa. The power forward then passed it to Moriyama. He tried to make his shot, but Hyuuga's defense wasn't allowing him to. He jumped and released the ball, but he knew it would miss. However, he trusted Hayakawa and Kobori.

When the ball bounced off the rim of the net, almost everyone shouted, "Rebound!"

But Kobori kept Kiyoshi out of a good position, while Hayakawa was able to jump and push it in.

Kiyoshi then retrieved the ball when Kaijou went back to defend. He then passed it to Izuki who then passed it to Hyuuga. The captain continued to dribble further but then he made a stop.

 _I stopped dribbling at a half-assed spot!_ Hyuuga thought.  _Shit!_

"Captain!"

Hyuuga then passed the ball to Furihata, who quickly passed it to Izuki. Izuki then passed it to Hyuuga once more, but he wasn't open. The shooting guard then gave it to Kagami, who had Kuroko. He felt that something was off, but the moment he got the ball, he made a drive for the net. Kuroko didn't stop him, but there was a visible smile on his face.

Kise shivered when he saw it. _We're in trouble._ He thought.

When Kagami jumped to make the dunk, he noticed that none of the Kaijou players tried to block him. _Just what is going on?_

The game continued, Furihata working the court with Izuki and his other teammates. At times, he set up screens to allow either Izuki to pass freely or Hyuuga to shoot freely…not that anything can stop the captain these days.

Kaijou got some shots in as well, but so far, their play seemed too normal. There wasn't anything special going on, Kuroko was strangely quiet.

It was Seirin's ball this time, and Hyuuga dribbled until he was close enough to Izuki. He then passed it to the point guard who tapped it to Furihata.

"Go!" Kagami shouted.

Furihata then ran to the net with Shinohara following and made a layup.

"Nice shot, Furi!" Kagami said, holding his hand out for a high-five. Furihata smiled and the two exchanged a high five.

On the bench, Kasamatsu realized what was happening. _He picks up on mistakes and avoids trouble. It feels like he's 'very good at supporting his teammates'. But…_ He held his train of thoughts as he looked at Kuroko. He couldn't help but smirk.

Hayakawa got the ball and passed it to Kuroko. When the players saw this, they thought that Kuroko would be heading in to go for the net. However, the moment he received it, he jogged towards Furihata who was at the top of the circle. Shinohara was on Izuki at the left wing, Moriyama on Hyuuga at the right wing, Kobori had Kiyoshi under the net. Hayakawa and Kagami were the only ones not marked. Hayakawa was closer to the right corner, Kagami was in the paint.

"Why is Kuroko-kun on Furihata-kun?!" Riko asked alarmed.

"That's why he didn't do anything." Kise answered. "He was watching Furihata."

When Kuroko came to mark him, Furihata felt like fainting. The pressure and aura that was emanating from the blond was enough to make him feel stifled.

"It's okay, Furihata-kun." Kuroko said. "I don't bite."

"Kuroko?" he said in shock.

"Just keep calm Furihata-kun. Everything will be fine."

"Eh?"

Kuroko sighed. It made no sense talking to the boy now; he was too tense to comprehend anything. Ignoring the boy, Kuroko then shouted,

"Rook to 5! Pawn to 3! Knight to 1!" After a second of hearing of this, Shinohara, Hayakawa and Moriyama moved off. Shinohara went into the paint area where Kagami was, Hayakawa went to mark Izuki and Moriyama came to where Furihata and Kuroko were.

Kuroko then gave the ball to Moriyama and seemed to retreat into their half. Seeing this, Kagami went closer to Shinohara. Moriyama then passed the ball to Kuroko who sent it flying to Shinohara. The point guard received it and then jumped to make what seemed to be a layup. Kagami jumped for the block, but then Shinohara change the ball position mid-air, and made the shot.

 _A double clutch?!_ Kagami thought in shock.

When Kise saw this, a memory flashed in his mind. "Shit, he was playing shogi for basketball?!" Kise shouted as he rose to his feet.

"Shogi? What?" Riko asked.

"Well, the Monday after the training camp I called Tetsucchi." Kise started.

_xxxx_

_Sitting in his bedroom, Kise held his phone to his ears, waiting for the person to pick-up._

" _Hello, Ryou-kun. Why are you calling me at this hour?" Kuroko answered._

" _Ah, I just remembered that my ― your body has become accustomed to the weights I have. Could you search for the rest and let Reiko-nee drop them off at school tomorrow?"_

_Kuroko sighed. "Couldn't you have called tomorrow morning? I'm in the middle of something."_

" _Of what?"_

" _Playing shogi."_

" _Ehh?! With who?!"_

" _The computer." He deadpanned._

" _But why are you playing shogi? You never usually did."_

" _It's a surprise, Ryou-kun." Kise could hear the smirk in his voice._

" _A-alright. Good night!"_

_But instead of replying, Kuroko made a kiss sound and then hung up the phone, leaving Kise blushing like mad._

_xxxx_

"Thanks but that last part was totally unnecessary." Riko sighed. "But to think, he'd use it for this." She then bit her nails. "And we don't even know who specifically the pieces he just called out are."

"What do you mean, Coach?" Kawahara asked. "Hayakawa-san, Moriyama-san and that other guy moved. Which means they ―"

"We know that much. But who is the Knight? Pawn? Rook? We can't say who's exactly what because they moved at the same time."

"Add to that, we don't know the positions he called out. They're just numbers! It could be anywhere on the court!"

"This isn't good." Riko said. "I thought we'd have the advantage with the element of surprise but…it's turning out to be the other way around. I would have never imagined Kuroko-kun as a point guard. Where did he get that idea from?"

All eyes looked at Kise.

"Don't look at me, even I'm clueless." Kise replied.

The game resumed, but Kuroko as a point guard proved to be lethal. Their formation was ever changing, due to Kuroko telling them where they should go. When this happens, the Seirin players get confused, as they don't know who's which piece and where on the court the numbers represent.

But the strange thing was that Kaijou was matching Seirin's cautious pace. Furihata had calmed down a little so whenever Kuroko came to mark him, he didn't freeze up.

However, Kagami didn't stay in the paint like previously, instead, he moved up to where Kuroko and Furihata was, hoping to stop the boy's crazy schemes. But, being Kuroko, his was still blank and expressionless.

"Lance to 1! Knight to 3! Rook to 4!" he shouted.

Kobori, Moriyama and Shinohara then moved off, once more causing Seirin to wonder where they were heading.

Moriyama went to the left wing at the three point line, Shinohara went to the free-throw circle and Kobori headed towards Kagami. The centre then screened him out and allowed Kuroko to pass. When he did, Furihata tried to block him, but with his speed he dashed past the boy. Hyuuga had then run up to block the boy. But the moment he'd done so, Kuroko bounced the ball to Moriyama who made a three.

"Kuroko's point guard…" Izuki said. "That thing is dangerous."

"I know. Who would've thought that he'd be this destructive?" Kiyoshi joined in.

Meanwhile on the bench, Takeuchi smiled. When 'Kise' had proposed the idea of him being a point guard, everyone thought that it was preposterous. That is, until the regulars had a match with the bench players. _Moriyama as the Knight, Hayakawa as the Pawn, Kobori as the Lance, Shinohara as the rook, I've never seen a way of point guarding such as this before. That way, the other team won't know who's going where. Yes, he really is a monster. Kise Ryouta._

In the audience, Aomine and Momoi were shocked as well. They knew Kise is a small forward, and people who play that position aren't usually that adept to be a point guard either.

"Just what has he been hiding from us?" Aomine said as he raked a hand through his hair.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the whistle blow.

"Seirin High, time out!"

The players moved swiftly to their bench, both Seirin and Kaijou. However, before they could reach their bench, Kuroko walked up to Furihata.

"Good job out there." He smiled.

"T-thanks, but you're scary."

"It's not intentional. But remember this, in my debut game, I tripped and got a nosebleed."

"Seriously, Kuroko?"

"I'm serious." Kuroko then walked off, going over to his bench, while Furihata continued on to Seirin's. On their bench, they kept glancing over at Kaijou; they all had feelings of unease.

"Damn," Kagami started, "That little bastard, Kuroko. I never know what he's thinking!"

"I know." Riko said. "But first, good job Furihata."

"Thanks." There was a look of accomplishment in his face.

"I noticed something about their point guard. I even forgot his name, well not that I knew it in the first place." Kise spoke up. Everyone blanched. "He is a great ball handler, almost on par with Izuki-senpai. But whenever he's doing a double clutch, he tends to jump off his right leg. If he jumps off his left, I don't think he's not doing a double-clutch but some ordinary shot. So watch his feet. That doesn't mean he's handicapped with his left like Kagamicchi."

"You bastard!"

"That's all I have for now. Tetsucchi usually passes the ball to whoever comes up to block you, so Furihata, I don't know if this will work, but you could try to block to their path. Force Tetsucchi to drive for the net or get closer to Kagamicchi. This redhead is the only one who can keep him still sometimes."

"Good observation Kise-kun." Riko commended. "Anyway, we'll use our main fortification that wasn't at the practice game and something that Kuroko-kun doesn't know about." She then looked to Kiyoshi. "Build your plays around Teppei. With Kuroko-kun being that further away from the net, we'll use that chance to get some shots in. Izuki-kun, keep getting the ball around. I've noticed that with Kasamatsu-san gone, their passing and stealing power has decreased. Let's take advantage of that. And remember, keep the defense tight. Kuroko-kun is terrifying when he wants to get the ball rolling."

"Hai!"

"Time-out over!"

The teams made their way back onto the court, but yet again, Seirin was about to get another shock. In front of Furihata was Shinohara and they were at the top of the circle. At an angle away from them was Izuki, and in the free-throw circle was Kuroko. At the right wing was Hyuuga and Moriyama, Kagami was in the paint, Hayakawa was in the corner and under the net were Kiyoshi and Kobori.

When Furihata saw this set-up, he started sweating. At where Izuki was positioned, passing to him would be risky as his only choices would be Kagami and Hyuuga. But where Kuroko was, he'd be able to intercept the passes should Izuki pass to either boy.

Should he pass to Izuki and the point guard decides to move upwards, Hayakawa can move towards him for a block, or this would force Kagami to block Hayakawa so that Izuki may move freely. But that would leave Kuroko free to do anything he wanted.

Furihata then looked to Hyuuga and saw the same thing. If he were to pass to Hyuuga either Moriyama, Kuroko or Shinohara can intercept the pass and give it to Kuroko who could redirect it to anyone or make a shot himself. And since he's in the free-throw circle, if he gets fouled there…

That only leaves himself. If he decides to make for the net, Shinohara could either block him, or Kuroko. He gasped in realization. If Kuroko moves up to block him, he could always pass to Izuki as that area would be free. He then took a step and noticed that Shinohara moved as well.

"Furi!" He looked and saw Izuki run to him. Quickly, Furihata passed the ball to him and then Izuki used the Ignite Pass to get the ball to Kagami. By the time Kagami spun around to make for the net, Hayakawa had come up to block him. He stalled before doing a right to left crossover. As he was about to drive for the net, he heard Furihata.

"Kagami, no, stop! Kuroko is there!" the brunet shouted.

"Huh?"

The moment Kagami stopped to look around to Furihata; Kuroko knocked the ball from his hands and stormed down into Seirin's half. Kagami was behind him chasing him down, but he was catching up to him. Kuroko then did a bounce pass to his left, in which Shinohara had run up to catch. Izuki followed him, as he didn't want Kagami to leave off Kuroko.

By the time they were at the net, Izuki looked at Shinohara's feet to see which leg he'll jump off of. It was his right. Jumping for the block, Izuki timed it just right, so when the boy changed the ball's position, he used his left hand to knock down the ball. Kiyoshi was the closest, as Kagami was keeping Kuroko at bay.

Kiyoshi then threw the ball to Hyuuga who was already sprinting down the court. Everyone was down in Kaijou's half except Kuroko and Kagami. The redhead's defense was troublesome for the blond, but with him being away from his teammates, Kuroko wasn't able to give commands, or try to steal the ball.

"There's no way you're escaping me, Kuroko." Kagami smirked.

Kuroko looked unaffected. "Well, Kaijou's other point guard is down there, so I don't need to worry." He deadpanned. But underneath that mask, he was both happy and sad that Izuki managed to block Shinohara. Inside, he was dying for this match to end, as even though he's gotten quite attached to Kaijou, he still loves Seirin.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the crowd roused up.

"What?!" Kagami shouted. Neither boy saw what had happened, but given that the buzzer didn't sound, Seirin didn't score. Kuroko then attempted to get around Kagami, but he couldn't. Even Kagami wondered what was wrong. At the camp, Kuroko could've easily gotten past him, after all, he goes one-on-one with Kise who copies Aomine.

"Kuroko!" he shouted at the boy. "Now isn't the time to space out or whatever. I'm not your light right now, _you_ are the light to Kaijou. Now come at me as though I'm one of your crazy ex-teammates!"

"Kagami-kun…" Kuroko started.

"It must be hard on you, to be playing against like this when you made a promise to us…to me. But look at Kise. He's in the same boat as you, and you didn't see him ease up or restrain himself. I told you before, if you go soft on us, we'll crush you."

"Thanks." Kuroko said. The moment he said that, Kuroko dashed past him, leaving Kagami stunned. He then chased down the boy but it seemed that what he said, may have awakened something within Kuroko because he couldn't catch him back.

Then all of a sudden, Kuroko turned slightly and the ball appeared from nowhere into Kuroko's hands. Kagami paused. _Isn't it only Kasamatsu who's able to do Kuroko's passes?_ He looked and saw Shinohara who had Izuki blocking him. But even Izuki was appalled.

When Kuroko received the ball, without hitch, he slammed it into the net, seeming as though he was about to rip it off the backboard.

"I'm sorry guys," he started. "I didn't realize that I was holding myself back because I was playing Seirin." His head was held down so they couldn't see his face. Everyone looked shocked. When he raised his head, not only Seirin were frightened, but so too Kaijou. "I won't be restraining myself anymore."

Seeing this, Kise rose to his feet. "Coach, you have to put me in!"

"We need you for the fourth quarter!" she said. "There's only five minutes left in this quarter."

"I don't think we'll be able to last that long."

"I'll wait and see first." She said. She too had an idea that something was coming, but she didn't want to tire out Kise. When he had collapsed in the Touou game, she kept blaming herself, as if she followed her instincts and took him out, then he wouldn't have collapsed.

She then refocused on the match to see Kagami with the ball. He blitzed through Kaijou but by the time he reached into the paint, Kuroko was waiting.

"Let's…" Kagami started. But his voice lost all its enthusiasm when he caught the look on the boy's face. "…go?" Something pricked at him and he withdrew.

The audience and everyone wondered what the cause of it was, as to them, he could've continued.

"Why did Kagamin stop?" Momoi asked.

"Kise." Aomine answered. "He saw something on Kise and he withdrew. Call it instincts. You sense a serious threat so you back off. It's as simple as that."

Back on the court, Kagami still had the ball. Looking at Kuroko, he wondered just what kind of monster did he awaken? He looked at the clock and saw that there was four minutes remaining. They were behind by only a three, and when he looked around, he saw that everyone was heavily guarded.

 _If I try to drive past that…_ Kagami said as he looked at Kuroko.

"Kagami!" he heard a voice. He sighed a relief. That person called him too much for him not to know. He then passed the ball to him, Furihata caught it with ease as Izuki was on Shinohara. When he got the ball, within a flash, Kuroko was already up on him, and had knocked the ball away.

"Shit!" Kagami shouted as he dashed after him. Furihata stood there, frozen. The aura that Kuroko has left him paralyzed.

Kagami and Kuroko along with their other teammates were in Seirin's court, and when Kuroko jumped to dunk the ball, Kagami knocked the ball away, it flying outside of the court.

"Out of bounds, black ball!"

Then they heard the whistle. "Seirin, member change!"

Kise walked onto the court, and Izuki had to help Furihata off. He was still trembling, due to the viciousness of Kuroko.

"Furihata-kun, are you alright?" Riko asked.

"He's terrifying. He's a monster." Furihata replied, trembling. "I thought I was going to die."

"But good job. Because of you we managed to get some shots in." Fukuda said, trying to cheer up the trembling boy.

All eyes then looked back as soon as they heard crowd. What they saw left them breathless. There were the two aces, battling it out as they made their way across the court. Kagami was the one with the ball, and he was trying desperately to get around Kuroko.

Kagami made a left to right crossover and had attempted to go for the net, but the moment he brought it in his right hand, Kuroko moved as well, forcing him to put it in his left. Because Kuroko knew that Kagami still has a long way to go in becoming able to move with his left hand, the blond knocked the ball from him and thundered towards Seirin's net.

He then slowed his pace a little, so that Moriyama and Hayakawa could get in position. But this also meant that Kagami could catch him up. The redhead wore a big grin on his face, this really excites him. But he didn't get a chance to enjoy it. As soon as he came up in front of him, Kuroko went into crossovers and dribbled so fast that before even realizing it, Kagami was falling.

Ankle break.

He then dashed forwards and passed the ball to Moriyama, who due to Hyuuga being distracted by that, he was able to land a perfect three.

Kaijou then returned to their half to defend, Izuki on Shinohara, Kise was free and invisible, Kagami and Kuroko in the paint, Moriyama and Hyuuga at the right wing, Kobori and Kiyoshi under the net. Izuki then did a bounce pass to an open space (presumably) and Kise quickly redirected it to Kagami who bounced it through Kuroko's legs to get it to Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi then pivot on his leg and jumped to make a shot but so too did Kobori. However, with his big hands, he quickly passed the ball behind him to Izuki who had run up. The point guard sent it rocketing to Hyuuga who made yet another three.

Both teams were now tied at fifty-four.

"Kaijou! Member change!" the referee announced after he blew the whistle. Kasamatsu and Nakamura were standing beside him, and then Shinohara and Kobori walked towards them, but they received high-fives from everyone before. When Seirin saw this, they immediately knew that the fast passes were coming back. Which meant that Kuroko was going to be intense.

When Kasamatsu and Nakamura headed onto the court, Riko was baffled as to why they subbed in Nakamura at this time. Kasamatsu quickly went to mark Izuki, but the formation that Kaijou used this time around was a bit…obvious.

Kasamatsu and Izuki were at the top of the circle, while every other player was at the sides. Isolation. It gave Kasamatsu room to work with whenever he decides to pass Izuki. But Seirin didn't notice was that the true purpose of the isolation was so that Kuroko and Kasamatsu could get the ball to Moriyama quickly hardly without anyone realizing.

Kasamatsu bounced the ball continuously, Izuki preparing for any sudden drive. He looked in Kuroko's direction but saw that the blond's back was turned. _With his back turned, it seems that he's not going to be doing anything._ Izuki thought.

Just then, Kasamatsu bounced the ball loudly four times, and then made a dash towards the net. He was faster than Izuki but the point guard still didn't give up. However, the moment Kasamatsu passed him, he bounced pass the ball to Kuroko who sent it rocketing to Nakamura. Effortlessly, he made a three.

Everyone was shocked by this.

Isolation usually indicates that the player with the ball will be the one who makes the drive for the net, makes the shot. But this…this was something that neither Seirin nor the audience expected.

Kaijou then went back to defend, however, they were unable to get into their positions properly. Kise used the cyclone pass to get the ball to Kagami who thundered towards them. Dashing pass the boys, he slammed the ball into net, sending a smirk in Kuroko's direction. The blond gave a thumbs up to him, but Kagami made a fist. The two exchanged a fist-bump.

The remaining minutes in the third quarter went on like this, both teams going back and forth. Kaijou's isolation method kept leaving everyone stunned, as when they think that Kasamatsu was going to pass to 'Kise' again, he makes the shot himself. Or another time when he made a drive for the net, he passed to Nakamura who then passed to Moriyama who made his shot.

Seirin didn't back down either. They made their shots and dunks as well, Izuki and Kise getting the ball and leaving the audience breathless. Hyuuga's clutch mode came out, his (not so) pleasant screams echoing and the audience has to wonder if the captain was a crazy psychopath.

Kagami and Kuroko went at it a lot of times, the showdown between the two sent sparks flying all the way up in the audience. Aomine grinned as he saw this, and he made plans to get them to play one-on-one with him. Be it in a practice match between their schools, or just a casual untimed match at a street-ball court.

Nakamura held his own against Kiyoshi sometimes, but of course, the boy dubbed the Iron Heart was better (he is a centre after all, while Nakamura was a shooting guard). Hayakawa seemed to having fun, as balls rebounded often and he manages to catch them.

The third quarter ended with Kaijou on sixty five, Seirin on Sixty-four.

_xxxx_

The teams returned to their benches, rehydrating themselves and wiping the sweat off their faces.

"Okay, this is the last leg. We'll take this quarter just like how we took the first!" Riko said. "And Kagami-kun, please don't foul anyone, because of that, you had made Kaijou tie with us in the first quarter."

"Sorry, Coach." He said.

"So Kise-kun, it's all you again. Give us a big enough lead so that even with Kuroko's schemes they won't be able to catch us back. Then, coordinate with Izuki-kun. Hyuuga-kun is always ready and able to make threes, Kagami-kun can storm in and dunk. We can win this match!"

"Yeah!"

_xxxx_

"One out of two things will happen. Tetsucchi will attack us again like the first half, or he'll wait until the last few minutes of the game. But, should either happen…"

"We know what to do." They chorused.

"Good." Kuroko said. "Let's win this match."

"Yeah!"

_xxxx_

The moment both teams returned to the court, but there was something about them that even shocked the audience. They could feel it as well. The players had a look of determination on their faces, but more so, they seemed to be like starving beasts.

They got into their positions, it was Seirin's throw in. The moment Hyuuga threw in the ball to Izuki, he quickly tapped it to Kise who dashed down the court to Kaijou's net. Seeing the speed at which the boy came, they knew that he was using his Perfect Copy. Kise weaved through Kaijou's defense as though it was nothing, but when he reached into the paint, he passed the ball back to Hyuuga who made a three. But when Seirin returned to defend, they spotted Kuroko in their half and the ball flying towards him.

Quickly, he made a three.

"When did he get down there?!" Hyuuga asked.

Kasamatsu smirked at the captain. Kuroko then made his way back into his half to help with defense; Izuki went to retrieve the ball from their net. The point guard then jogged towards the group and then he passed to Kise. Kise then dashed towards the paint area, and went into the form for the Phantom Shot.

Timing it just right, Kuroko dashed up to the blue-haired teen the moment he released the ball. Kuroko jumped and slammed the ball back down with brute force. When Kise looked at the boy's eyes, he saw that they were blazing, intense with focus. Kasamatsu caught the ball and sprinted down with it, Nakamura and Moriyama passing him, going to the left and right wings. Seirin were catching up as well, they really put that training camp to good use.

When everyone got into position, Kasamatsu was marked by Izuki, Hyuuga had Moriyama, and Nakamura was on Kagami. Hayakawa was close to the net, Kuroko had free reign. Kasamatsu continued to bounce the ball, but after the fifth bounce he passed the ball to Kuroko. The small forward then raced towards the net, and with Nakamura blocking Kagami, Kuroko knew he had to keep an eye out for Kise.

When the boy had come up for the block (which was surprisingly fast), Kuroko quickly passed the ball behind him to Kasamatsu who then redirected it to Moriyama. The shooting guard made his three.

As if both teams were thinking the same thing, the game went on to be just like the first half. Kasamatsu and Izuki coordinating perfectly with Kuroko and Kise, strangely, both teams incorporated a third element in their duos; for Kaijou it was Nakamura or Moriyama, for Seirin it was Hyuuga or Kagami.

When the audience looked at each teams' shooting guards, they could see them drenched in sweat, as they landed threes after threes after threes.

Kiyoshi did a good job at getting rebounds and making his own shots, so too did Hayakawa. At one point it had turned into a war for rebounds. Nakamura kept Kagami at bay but not for too long. Once he'd get into his groove, getting past Nakamura's blocks was easy (not that Nakamura's defense was pathetic, it sure as hell wasn't).

At another time in the game, it came down to the war of the aces. Kuroko and Kagami seemed to dominate the court; both their teams had left the shooting up to them. For Kaijou, Kuroko had planned this, as he knew that making Moriyama and Nakamura land so many threes would eventually take a toll on their arms. But when Kagami saw that Kuroko was going on a rampage and needed to be stopped, of course, he took charge of that.

Dunks after dunks after dunks were made, someone in the crowd commented that they wondered if the hoops were going to be able to keep standing. The two boys were fierce, monstrous even. Their speed was on a different level, but even though Kagami was fast, due to the training camp and due to Kise's personal training, Kuroko was faster.

The blond's dribbling was scary, Kagami fell prey to ankle break many times, and to his hesitation dribbles. However, that didn't mean Kuroko didn't get affected by Kagami's street-ball antics as well. Even though his instincts were rusty, Kagami still managed to get around Kuroko many times and made his shots.

Everyone had looked at the two with surprise and horror. The way in which they moved didn't seem like high-school students, first years even. They weren't humans in the audiences' eyes, they were monster in the form of teenagers.

When Hyuuga watched Kuroko, he was appalled. _How much more will this monster evolve?_ He had thought. He's never imagined the day when he'd refer to Kuroko as a monster, but seeing the boy now…proved otherwise. And there was Kise. The other one. Hyuuga shivered when he remembered that this was only temporary and when Kise gets back his body…his Perfect Copy is going to be disastrous.

With four minutes remaining, Kaijou was on eighty-six while Seirin was on eighty-five.

Seirin's players looked at each other.

_It is time._

The moment Izuki passed the ball to Kagami who then dashed towards Kaijou's net. Izuki ran close to him, Kise was behind. When they reached, Kagami quickly passed the ball to Izuki who then redirected it to Kise who close by the centre-circle. He then made a shot…using Midorima's three.

Nakamura had retrieved the ball and passed it to Kasamatsu. The point guard then made his way further, while Nakamura and Moriyama stayed on the outside. Hayakawa was in his usual spot, Kuroko was behind Kasamatsu.

It was the triangle formation. Kasamatsu-Moriyama-Nakamura, these three make up that formation this time, with the passing option of Kuroko if Kasamatsu so chooses. He continued to bounce the ball, but then he looked to his right, and then to his left. Seeing this, Seirin thought that Kasamatsu would have chosen to pass to either of the boys, but what happened next was a total shocker.

Kasamatsu bounced the ball enough and then made a drive for the net. Izuki looked to the point but then realized that he didn't have the ball. Swiftly looking back around, he saw Kuroko come up on him, and ignite pass the ball to Kasamatsu. The captain then rocketed the ball into Moriyama's direction, who had made a three.

For a while, Izuki was left frozen. That was beyond crazy.

"Wha…what –what- what was that?" he stuttered out.

"After the match, Izuki-senpai." Kuroko answered as he retreated to defend.

"Honestly, that stunned me as well." Hyuuga said, patting his shoulder. "Let's go!"

"Yeah."

Izuki got the ball, and then passed it to Kise. With a copy of Aomine, the boy sped towards Kaijou's half, weaving through their defense. Nakamura was the last defender as he was closest to the net. When he jumped to block Kise, the former blond didn't shoot immediately.

He was doing a fadeaway. And not just any fadeaway but Aomine's.

The ball went in smoothly, and without hitch, Kaijou went on the offense. Kasamatsu had the ball; Kuroko was across from him while the others were further ahead. Kagami tried to block Kuroko's path but the blond dashed past him with what seemed to be a full drive.

Kasamatsu then passed the ball to him, but as soon as he got it, he redirected it back to the captain. He then passed it to Moriyama, who then passed it to Kuroko who was already heading for the net. But Kise was not to be forgotten. As soon as Kuroko released the ball for a layup, Kise knocked the ball away, it landing in the hands of Izuki. With a cyclone pass to Hyuuga, the captain quickly made a three.

Seirin was now on ninety-three, Kaijou on eighty-nine.

Kuroko was somewhat pleased. There hasn't much that had caught him by surprise in this match and so far, his plan hadn't needed to be tweaked…too much.

Kaijou was back on offense, but this time, Seirin noticed that Kuroko lagged behind in the back. But once more they got a crude surprise. Kasamatsu went for a full drive against Izuki, and he passed him, without the boy doing anything.

It was as though Izuki _allowed_ him to pass.

"What?" Izuki said in shock. Kagami had quickly run up to stop the captain but then he passed to Nakamura. Nakamura then glanced behind him and he too made a drive for the net, where he made a layup.

Seirin were confused. Kaijou was passing them and they couldn't realize.

Not wanting to take anything to chance, Kise received the ball and after three bounces, he got into shooting form. He then shot the ball, copying Midorima.

Kuroko sighed. _This is far more annoying than I had thought previously._

When the ball crashed into the net, the Kaijou players then looked at Kuroko.

"Let's change gears. Kasamatsu-senpai, steals and fast passes. Two defenders on Ryou-kun, force him to play like Aomine mostly, if he breaks out Midorima then that will just make it harder. One on Kagami-kun. Moriyama-senpai, get ready."

"Hai!"

Hayakawa went to retrieve the ball, and once more Kuroko used his other misdirection. Due to this, even Kise couldn't block anyone as the moment his eyes lands on someone, they vanished. Because of the misdirection, Kaijou managed to make two more threes, while Seirin only manages to make two more shots worth two through Kise.

But Riko noticed something odd. She realizes that while Kise was using his Perfect Copy, he tends to use copies of Aomine a lot, but he never uses them back to back. Should he try to make a shot, usually Midorima, there would be two defenders on him, forcing him to penetrate the inside with a copy of Aomine.

She gasped in shock.

"Are they forcing him to play like that?" she said aloud.

"Huh? Forcing who?" Koganei asked.

"Kise-kun." She answered. "Since they can't stop him when he shoots like Midorima-kun, they're forcing him to play like Aomine-kun."

"But they still can't stop him either way."

"I know, but I have a bad feeling."

When Kise was inside, Nakamura and Moriyama were behind him and Hayakawa was in front. It seemed as though they blocked his way, but as soon as he held the ball to throw it in the net, he saw a flash of gold in the corner of his eyes. He released the ball, but it missed, horribly.

Everyone's eyes widen with shock. Kise was copying Aomine perfectly…Aomine doesn't miss his shots.

Takeuchi smirked. _Have a taste of your own medicine._

Hayakawa had jumped and caught the ball, and passed it to Kasamatsu. He then used the Ignite Pass to Kuroko was already making his way into Seirin's court. Kise and Kagami chased him down, but something happened. By the time Kuroko reached the free-throw circle, Kise was already in front of him and Kagami behind him. The other players made it there as well, Kuroko looking around to see the best choice. Sadly, no one was free.

He reverted to just bouncing the ball, and then he shouted, "King to 5! Bishop to 4! Knight to 3! Pawn to 6!"

Kasamatsu, Nakamura, Moriyama and Hayakawa moved as though they were in sync, and quickly got into position. As Kasamatsu passed by Kuroko, he bounced the ball to him and then he passed it to Nakamura who then chest passed it to Moriyama. The shooting guard made his three.

The schools were now tied at 100 points.

The crowd went into a frenzy.

"Seirin! Seirin! Seirin!"

"Ka-i-jo! Ka-i-jo! Ka-i-jo!"

It seemed that the gymnasium was split between the two schools, as neither was letting up. Kaijou's antics left them ever speechless and wanting more, while Seirin's strength and ferocity got them pumped up.

Looking at the clock, Aomine saw that it was one minute left. He leaned forward, seeing how the two will fight. He didn't ― couldn't deny the fact that 'Kise', 'Kuroko' and Kagami were monsters, and surprisingly to Momoi, she caught him grinning from the match began.

"They're demons! Seirin's eleven and Kise!"

"Seirin's number ten as well!"

The two looked at the match to see 'Kise' and 'Kuroko' battling it out. 'Kise' tried to go around 'Kuroko' but he couldn't. It seems that 'Kuroko' could read 'Kise's' movements. But then, they saw 'Kise' dashed backwards into his half while Kasamatsu ran forward. He then passed the ball to his captain while he followed behind. What happened next stunned them.

Kasamatsu bounced the ball to 'Kise' who without hesitation passed it behind his back to Nakamura who was in shooting form.

Hayakawa sprinted towards the net, Kiyoshi followed as well. They knew it was going to rebound. When the ball bounced off the rim of the net, both boys jumped for it, Kiyoshi managed to get it as he was taller, but his determination was fierce. The moment Kiyoshi then passed the ball to Izuki, Moriyama stole it and passed it back to Hayakawa who then passed it to Kasamatsu.

The captain made a three.

Kaijou was now at 103, Seirin at 100.

Kise would not have it. Quickly grabbing the ball, he bounced it thrice and went into shooting form. Thirty seconds remaining, Kise had to make this shot, as for this game to go into overtime, neither team wanted that.

It went into the net smoothly, both teams now tied. Hayakawa quickly retrieved the ball, but the moment he passed the ball, Kise was down there.

"Shit!" Kuroko dashed off hoping to catch the boy. But Kagami came up to block him. Not having the patience nor the time to deal with the redhead, Kuroko dashed past him similar in a way like Aomine but Kagami was persistent. He had a big grin on his face, but he managed to slow Kuroko. Kise had already stole the ball and made a dunk.

Seirin was on 105, Kaijou on 103, with ten seconds remaining.

Everyone converged into Kaijou's half of the court, Seirin not wanting to let Kaijou go, as they were in the lead. Kuroko looked at the clock and saw five seconds. He was going to make a gamble. He's practiced this but it never went in.

"Get down there!" he shouted. Nakamura, Hayakawa dashed down towards Seirin's net, making Kiyoshi and Kagami follow. Kuroko then went into shooting form and went they saw this, they wondered if he could shoot like Midorima too.

"That ball is going to rebound!" Kise said. However, in that instance, Kuroko changed his form to that of the phantom shot. They were puzzled at this, but one thing was different, instead of having the ball at his chest, his hands were positioned above his head. He then jumped and pushed the ball into the air with a frightening speed. By the net, Kiyoshi and Hayakawa were watching it, Nakamura was using all his power to get Kagami from helping.

"Fuck." Kise said as he looked at the ball and noticed its trajectory. He then looked at Kuroko who, had a smile.

"You cannot deny fate…" he started, deepening his voice, mocking Midorima. "…nanodayo."

The ball went in smoothly, startling everyone. The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.

The crowd erupted. Not only were there cheers but screams and hooting as well. Seirin looked as the clock, and even they just lost, they didn't feel defeated. Kaijou jumped and cheered, the players on the court ruffled Kuroko's hair and giving him high-fives.

"Game Over! One hundred and six to One hundred and five, Kaijou!"

"Thank you very much!" they chorused.

They then converged, chatting with each other. The point guards to one side, the shooting guards to the other, Kagami, Kise and Kuroko elsewhere and so on.

"Ryoucchi! Kurokocchi!" they heard a voice call. Both boys looked in the direction, and saw Reiko standing beside a photographer. Kuroko and Kise went over to her, and then went into a conversation. The other players saw her and could immediately see that she was Kise's relative, the bright blond hair and sparkling brown eyes couldn't miss.

Then they saw both boys stand beside each other, Kuroko holding a basketball in his right hand while Kise placed his left hand on top of it. They camera snapped.

Then they saw the two do something unbelievable. Kuroko and Kise then took off their shirts and gave it to either. While Kise drowned in his own shirt, Kuroko looked like he was suffocating. They then took pictures like that.

"Hyuuga," Moriyama started, "I don't want to be left out. If my goddess sees this in the magazine, I'm sure she'll come looking for me."

Hyuuga sighed. But he felt the same way. Quickly the two switch shirts as well, and tucked it in their shorts. When they made their way over to the two, Hyuuga knocked Kise on his head.

"What are you doing without me, moron?!"

"You should've invited me as well." Moriyama said.

The photographer saw this and smiled. But before he could take their picture, a horde of boys assembled. Izuki and Kasamatsu had switched shirts, Kiyoshi and Kobori had switched, Nakamura and Kagami had switched, Shinohara and Furihata.

Their coaches were involved as well, Furihata had dragged Riko and Shinohara encouraged Takeuchi.

Kagami, Nakamura, Kobori and Kiyoshi were at the back, they threw their arms around each other's shoulders. To the left were Hyuuga and Moriyama, to the right was Izuki and Kasamatsu and in the middle stooping down were Kise and Kuroko. Takeuchi was in front of Moriyama and Hyuuga but he didn't block any of them. Riko leaned on Izuki and smiled.

The picture was taken but they all made the same sign with their hands, peace.

The crowd saw this, and instead of cheering, they clapped. The two teams couldn't notice but the audience were standing on their feet as they applauded.

"Yosha!" Kagami cheered, when they had finished taking the pictures. "Let's have a one-on-one Kuroko!"

"Kagami-kun, what are you, a child?"

"You bastard!" Kagami shouted. He made an attempt to grab the blond's hair, but the boy dodged. The players laughed at the exchange, even though they were seeing Kise, they knew it was Kuroko, so it reminded them of old times.

Old times they have no idea when they'll return.

Just then, they heard Kise shouted, "My life is over!"

"What makes you say, that?" Kagami then asked.

"We lost! That means we have to confess our love at morning assembly!" he grabbed his hair and seemed as though he would've ripped it out.

"Seriously?" Hyuuga blanched as he looked at Riko who was talking Kise's sister and Takeuchi. "Is she really going to make us do it?"

"Don't worry," Kasamatsu said. "We'll win for your sake. After all, Kuroko is an original member of Seirin. He hasn't lost yet."

"If you tell her that, if you lose, she'll make you go naked for sure." Kiyoshi joined in. "She's not afraid to do it."

"Kasamatsu! What have you dragged us into?!" Moriyama shouted. "I can't have my goddess see me in such an unsightly manner!"

"It's because I know we'll win." He said in a serious tone. "That means, we'll have to put our all into researching Rakuzan. They're going to be a tough nut to crack.

"You're right."

Then they heard the referee's whistle. "Seirin! Kaijou! Get off the court!"

Without hitch, the players dashed off the court, their coaches apologizing to the referee and officials for their antics prior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	41. Post Game Drama

Chapter 41

...

"A joint interview?" Hyuuga asked. "And with _Kaijou_ of all people?"

"Even though we're close, defeat still stings. I mean, the wound is fresh!" Kagami shouted. "I feel that if I see that little bastard, I may attack him and drag him to a street court to vent."

"If you touch my Tetsucchi, I'll kill you Kagamicchi." Kise said with a blank face. However, there was a menacing aura emanating from his body. Kagami knew not to take the boy lightly; at the camp he almost slit his throat with a knife. He shuddered at the memory.

"Coach, who's interviewing us?" Koganei asked.

"Basketball Monthly. You can thank Kise-kun's sister." Riko said. She then looked to the blue-haired teen. "I didn't know that she was a journalist."

"I didn't even know that he had a sister." Koganei mumbled.

"You never asked," he deadpanned, answering them both.

"But that only means that they have an eye on us." Izuki said.

"Or it could be that stunt you pulled earlier. I haven't even seen NBA players switch shirts on courts before!" Riko said.

"But what will she ask? Is she a chatty person like Kise?" Tsuchida asked. Everyone then looked at the boy. He sighed.

"She's worst than me. She's going to interrogate us." He said. "But it should go just fine."

"Seriously?" Hyuuga said. "I'm totally getting nervous."

"Don't brace for it. Just Act natural." Kiyoshi perked up.

"Right, relaxed is the best way." Riko smiled at her captain.

"You're right." He said as he got to his feet. "All right, all you guys, let's relax!"

Kise sighed. _They aren't relaxed at all._

_xxxx_

The Kaijou locker room was noisy. The boys hooted and cheered, rejoicing that they made it into the finals. However, Kuroko was being crushed from all the hugs and pats on the back that he received, as the boys knew that if it weren't for 'Kise's' planning skills, they would have probably lost.

"Alright, boys, settle down." Takeuchi said. "Basketball Monthly wants us to do a joint interview with Seirin."

"Joint? Why?" Shinohara asked.

"After that shirt switching incident, I doubt who wouldn't." he sighed. "But anyway, it's nothing to worry about. Just don't say anything stupid…if push comes to shove leave all the talking to Kasamatsu." When he said this, he looked specifically at Moriyama and Kuroko. Moriyama has a tendency to speak about his 'goddess' and well, Kuroko was just too blunt for his own good.

He then noticed the Seirin jersey shirts hanging out of their bags. "You aren't going to return them?"

"We should?" Shinohara asked.

"No." Kuroko answered quickly. "It's mine now. And why should I?"

Takeuchi knows that he shouldn't say anything. In times past, whenever he did, it would have caused a civil unrest and handling healthy teenage boys was not easy. He then smirked. _I wonder if I should make Kise captain next year to make him pay back for all the pain he caused me._ He quickly dismissed the thought and put his hands together.

"Alright, let's go! It's not nice to keep journalists waiting!"

_xxxx_

The players of Seirin and Kaijou stood in front of Reiko and her photographer, most of them were shaking in their boots. Only the ones that took part in the match faced her while the others were off to one side, laughing at them.

"So, the first question I'd like to ask is how did both teams become so close?" Reiko started. "In all your matches so far, you've never done anything like this. You've switched shirts and during the match, I caught a glimpse of Kise-kun and your ace exchanging a fist-bump and your point guards exchanging high-fives." Due to her being in her professional mode, she referred to her little brother as 'Kise-kun'.

"Ah, to be honest, it was because of Kuroko and Kise." Kasamatsu started. "They became best friends and then dragged the rest of us with them."

"And because of this, we ended up having a joint training camp for a month which solidified our friendship." Hyuuga added. Riko smiled at this.

"Okay, which game would you say is the most memorable?" she then asked.

There was a pause.

"I would say this one." Kagami spoke up. "I mean, I love basketball a lot, and playing in matches gets me pumped up, but this match, due to us being close, that is, me, Kuroko and Kise, I was really excited to face Kise one-on-one."

"Yeah, I think we all feel the same. But for me, I'd have to involve the Touou game as well." Nakamura joined in. "While it may not be as intense as this match, but I think that it really raised the bar for Kise."

"For us too, I think that the Yosen match was memorable as well, being that we felt like were going up against a wall. But, we managed to get through it and win."

"I see." She then turned to Takeuchi. "Ever since Inter-High started, people on social media have started to dub Kaijou as 'The Unorthodox Blue Elites' due to your never-before-seen formations. Can you tell me, how do you come up with them?"

Takeuchi smiled, looking a bit proud. "I'm not the one who creates the formations. Everything we do is all Kise. Since he's our strategist, he's the one who does the analyzing and when he's done, he creates the strategies and formations. Since basketball these days have come down to strategical warfare, he always says that 'no matter how good a team is; if they're faced with something that they've never seen before, they won't know how to react to it'."

"And I believe that." Izuki said. "Kuroko's point guard took me off guard." He then punned.

"Die, Izuki!" Hyuuga shouted as he attacked the point guard.

"Calm down, Hyuuga." Kiyoshi said. When Reiko saw this, she asked her photographer to snap some pictures.

"Another thing I'd like to ask, I've noticed that both teams can do certain types of passes. Do you share information like that?"

All eyes looked to Kuroko and Kise. But before either boy could open his mouth, Izuki spoke up.

"Well, Kuroko is our instructor." Izuki said, pointing a thumb in Kasamatsu's direction.

Kaijou's captain nodded in confirmation. "Every one of those crazy passes that we do is all thanks to him."

The interview continued, but to the teams and their coaches, it felt like it was an interrogation. But luckily, due to Reiko's bubbly personality, they were able to get through with ease.

Reiko and her photographer had left, leaving the boys and their coaches chatting. However, the good mood was about to be disrupted. Coming in their direction was Rakuzan, with an intimidating air about them. Kise sighed miserably as he couldn't deal with Akashi right now. As for Kuroko, he was itching to ask him about the phantom he created.

"Kaijou, Seirin. That was a fierce match." Akashi started. "Do you mind if I speak to Tetsuya and Ryouta privately?"

"Well, we can talk here. There's nothing to hide right?" Kise said.

"Hmph. As you wish." Akashi then had smirk on his face. "What I would like to know is why is it that you two seem so much like each other?"

"It's simple. Because we're best friends Akashicchi." Kuroko answered swiftly. "We've spent so much time around each other that well; we're starting to rub off on each other.

"I do not believe you Ryouta. Just because you two are best friends you're starting to play like each other?" He decided to let the best friend statement slide since Kise had been saying he's Kuroko's best friend since Teikou.

Kuroko's face hardened. "I don't care if you don't want to believe it or not. You asked a question and I answered. It's your fault for not believing the answer."

Rakuzan's players sucked in a breath. Never before have they seen anyone speak to Akashi like this, and they fretted for the blond's safety.

"What I'd like to ask is about that phantom over there." Kuroko said. "You've created another one haven't you?"

"Phantom? Where?" Kagami asked. It was when he stepped up that everyone realized that he had been standing there. Screeches followed as no one realized his presence. Kise was frightened as well, but he had to pretend as though he knew that he was there.

"He's been there the whole time." Kuroko said. He had a feeling of the question they were about to ask.

"Your eyes are quite sharp Ryouta." Akashi complimented. "Indeed, Mayuzumi is a phantom but he is far superior to Tetsuya. After all, he was just a prototype."

Everyone felt something in them snap.

"Excuse me?" Kise asked.

"Now that you can copy our plays, I'm pretty sure that misdirection won't work as it should. An example of this is the match that just played. If you had stuck what you were best at, Seirin would have won." He then looked to 'Kise'. "I'm honestly surprised that you had beaten Daiki."

"You're talking as though you had expected anything from me." Kuroko snorted. By now, Hyuuga, Kasamatsu and the rest of their teams were boiling with rage.

"Well, I'll see you in the finals Ryouta. I hope you won't lose too badly."

"What?"

"It is in fact that you are the weakest out of all us. One main fact is that you don't even have an original play for yourself. You copy others and attack them with twice the power. That's it. And plus, you can't even play like the miracles like Tetsuya can. There's no way you'd be able to beat me. I am absolute."

_Slap._

Mibuchi let out a horrified gasp, while everyone on Rakuzan's team looked shell-shocked. Seirin and Kaijou were experiencing two emotions simultaneously ― joy that Kise had just slapped his ex-captain, and shock that Kise _had just slapped his ex-captain_.

"You have no right to say he's the weakest of you miracles." Kise spat with rage. Strangely, he managed to keep his tone down. "You have no idea how hard he's trained to come this far. How are you to say that he's got no original moves of his own? He's more original than you are…than anyone is." Kise continued. "There were times when he was so exhausted that his legs trembled and he found it hard to get it up. There were times when he practiced shooting so much had his arms felt like lead. You have no idea how far he's come. This blond here is amazing and you have absolutely no right to belittle him and his team." He paused but then he started up again, "You're absolute? Don't talk bullshit to me, _Seijuurou_. You're not God, so please refrain from saying so."

"How dare you Tetsuya?" Akashi said, the anger blaring in his voice. The players started sweating bullets. A part of Rakuzan wanted to grab Akashi and get out of there before things escalate but then again, if they should, they'll feel the blunt of it.

"How dare _you_." Kise said. "As I have said, you have no right to belittle any of these teams that are standing before you." He then grabbed Kuroko's wrist and tugged him away. "Let's leave before I commit a homicide."

"Tetsuya, don't walk away when I'm talking."

"Fuck the hell off Seijuurou. You're not my captain. I only obey the commands of Hyuuga-senpai and Kasamatsu-senpai. We're not in Teikou anymore."

Kotarou uttered incoherencies in shock. He looked back between Akashi and the leaving figures of 'Kise' and 'Kuroko'.

Everyone stood there flabbergasted. As for Kuroko, not only was he fretting for Kise's safety but for his body as well. Strangely, a smile played at his lips, but the situation was still dire. Kise had just slapped Akashi. Kise had just told him to fuck off. Kise had called him Seijuurou. No one on this earth had ever been dumb enough to do any of those things.

"Ryou-chan, why ―?" Kuroko was unable to finish his question.

"I'm sorry; I guess unintentionally I blew a fuse back there." Kise started. "But I don't like the way he was talking about you. You've worked so hard to be able to play like me. And not only that, he was looking down at _you._ Both of us even. But I just can't stand the fact that he referred to you as a fucking prototype. It sounded as though he was just using you. It pissed me off. Add to that, he was looking down on both our teams. He's lucky it's not Seirin that won, I would have made sure that they ― mmph!"

Kise was unable to finish his sentence as Kuroko's lips crashed into his. He was completely taken by the surprise at the sudden action, as Kuroko was always wary of them kissing in public spaces. But, it seemed that this time, he didn't care.

"Thanks." Kuroko said.

"Well, he was insulting both of us and our teams back there. If I didn't say anything, I'm sure Captain and Senpai would have, and well…" he trailed off with a chuckle.

"Ki-chan! Tetsu-kun!"

Both boys jumped at the voice. When they looked in the direction, they saw Momoi with a bright smile on her face walking with Aomine who seemed a bit…troubled? The two looked at each other then back to their ex-teammate and manager.

"That match was breathtaking!" Momoi started, "both teams had such firepower!"

"Thanks, Momoi-san." Kise said. His imitation of Kuroko was perfect.

"Aominecchi, what's with that look on your face?" Kuroko asked.

"Can I ask you two something?" he said. "And please don't think I'm crazy when I do."

"Okay," they chorused.

"Have you switched bodies or something? I know it's absurd to ask but this feeling has been tugging at me since I played against Seirin in the leagues. It's driving me crazy."

Kuroko laughed, Kise chuckled. Momoi stared at him.

"What?!"

But then when they saw the look on his face, they knew he was being dead serious. Kuroko then looked at Kise and held his wrist. "Excuse us for a moment, Momocchi." He said. He then looked to Aomine. "Come with us."

Aomine followed behind the two boys and ended up back where they just had their interview, the two teams seemed to be conversing, but one thing evident, they were bursting with rage.

"That redheaded midget! I'm going to kill him!" Kagami shouted. "How can he say that about Kuroko and Kise?!"

"It pisses me that his Senpai didn't even do anything! How can they let a first year brat rule them like that?!" Kasamatsu shouted. "I'll teach him manners come Saturday, just you wait."

"We should be glad that their coach came in time. Who knows if he would have gone after them?" Koganei said.

"As if I'd let some first year lay hand on our aces." Moriyama seethed. He was referring to both Kise and Kuroko.

"Exactly that." Nakamura agreed.

"Everyone?!" Kise called out to catch their attention. Everyone stopped and looked at the three boys. "There is an important matter at hand."

"Which is…?" Hyuuga asked.

"He found out." Kise tilted his head in Aomine's direction.

Everyone paused. The Kaijou regulars and Seirin all looked in the direction of the other Kaijou players and Takeuchi who wasn't at the camp.

"Hyuuga-kun, Kasamatsu-san, I'll leave this to you." Riko said.

"Hai!"

With that, the two captains and the boys went down the hallway, going back to Seirin's locker room. When they were safely inside and the door was locked, the captains looked at Aomine with shock.

"How'd you find out?" Hyuuga asked.

"If they hadn't told us that time, then I doubt that anyone would have realized it." Kasamatsu added. "So, how?"

"Wait, it's true that they've switched bodies?!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, freshman!" Kasamatsu gave him a kick to go with it.

"It's just that during matches, Tetsu feels like Kise and vice-versa. And watching this match solidified what I thought."

"You must never tell anyone about this, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said. "Not even Momoi-san."

"But if you do, not only will we label you as crazy because both Tetsucchi and I can pull off each other perfectly, we'll murder the real Horikita Mai and then burn your stash." Kise threatened.

"Alright, alright." Aomine quickly agreed. "But then that means, Tetsu was the one who beat me?"

"I told you Aomine-kun, I'm nowhere near your level. Kaijou beat you, not me." Kuroko answered. "Plus, you needed saving."

Aomine fell silent after that. He looked away from the two boys but he managed to mumble an audible 'thank you'.

"There's no need to be so shy Aominecchi!" Kise teased.

"Shut up Kise!" but then he drew back. "Good grief! Tetsu's face! With an expression!" he then fumbled with his pocket to take out his phone. "I have to take a picture!"

Without warning, Kuroko grabbed Kise and buried the boy's face in his chest. "I'm sorry Aomine-kun, but he's mine. And I will not permit you to take a picture of him and drool at it later on."

"Drool? Like hell I'd do that! It's just that you don't smile like ten million watt bulb everyday!"

"I don't care. Take a picture and I'll kill you."

"Believe him," Kasamatsu said. "At our training camp, he almost murdered Kagami with a clipboard because the redhead said that Kise's thighs were milky."

Aomine cringed.

"Now that you know their secret, if I hear so much as a peep out of you, I'm going to kill you." Hyuuga said, sadly for the Touou ace, he had gone into clutch mode.

"Yes Sir!"

_xxxx_

Kuroko couldn't believe that Reiko had left without him. He was now sitting in a train heading home, gazing out the window. Not only was he tired but he was hungry. Right after he, Kise, Aomine and their captains returned from the locker room, both teams decided to head directly home, as they were planning to research both their opponents come early morning.

"Man that match was intense!"

"Yeah, Seirin and Kaijou are beasts! I just wished that was the final though."

"Wanna stop by a street court? That match got me pumped!"

"Sure!"

Kuroko looked around to see to two boys talking. One held a basketball spinning on his index, while the other chatted away. Seeing the basketball and hearing 'street court', sent ripples through his body as he remembered what happened on the court that night (as if he could forget). He then hugged himself, as the feeling came in full force.

He remembered when Kise nibbled on his ear as his hands explored his body.

He remembered feeling Kise's tongue on his skin when he took off his shirt…

He remembered when Kise called him _Tetsuya…_ in the most seductive voice he'd ever heard.

Kuroko shivered and his heart began to race. He raked a hand through his hair, hoping to dispel what was threatening to take him over. Kuroko doubled over in his seat, gripping the railing tightly. _What have you done to me, Ryou-chan?_ He groaned out loud.

"Excuse me, but are you okay?" some woman asked him.

"Yeah, I'm just extremely tired and hungry." He managed to answer.

After a couple more minutes, Kuroko had reached his stop, and as soon as he exited the train, he walked briskly home. Soon, he had reached the gate and then he made a mad dash towards the door. Forget fatigue, forget hunger, he just wanted to sleep off this feeling that was welling up inside him. Thank God Kise wasn't there…Kuroko just knows that if the other was, things would have made a drastic turn.

But as soon as he opened the door, the tense atmosphere in the house could kill someone. He couldn't see anyone as well, the house was dark. Not that he cared. He fumbled with his shoes but as soon as he made it pass the kitchen, he heard a voice.

"Welcome home, Ryou." He froze. It was a male's voice. "And we've been waiting."

The lights then came on, and Kuroko got yet another shock of his life. In the conversation pit, there were Ruiko and Reiko along with Kise's mother (who had stayed away for more than a month) and a man he's never seen before. But looking at him, Kuroko couldn't doubt it. That man was Kise's father.

The first time he'd seen Kise's mother, he had thought that the blond had gotten everything from her, but looking at the man now, he realized how horribly wrong he had been. In a nutshell, Kise was a carbon copy of his father, body, facial structure…everything. The only difference was that Kise's father had jet black hair and piercing green eyes. Mesmerizing.

_With his blond hair, if Ryou-chan had gotten his father's eyes, he'd be insanely hot._ Kuroko blushed at the thought and turned his head away.

"So are you going to gawk at us all day?" the man then asked. Kuroko shivered. There was an air of intimidation oozing out of him, and he felt that it was worse than Akashi. Kuroko started fretting. The most he knows about Kise's interaction with his father is that he calls him 'Papacchi'. The cause of that was because Ritsuko adds –cchi to his name so baby Kise had decided to combine 'Papa' and '-cchi'. Other than that, he's clueless.

"I'm coming Papacchi." He said. When he sat down, they all attacked him. Kise's sisters and his mother embraced him in a tight hug.

"I've missed you so much Ryoutacchi!" Kise's mother smiled at him. "But I managed to get to watch your match! It was breathtaking! Who knew that Kuroko-kun was that good as well?"

"Ritsuko," Kise's father's voice boomed. "I want to hug my son as well."

The three females released Kuroko and with what seemed like flying, the man reached at Kuroko's side and enveloped him in a suffocating hug.

"I've missed you so much Ryou." He started. "I kept thinking about my precious ball of sunshine every day."

Kuroko paused when he heard the sniffing. _Wait, is he crying? Wait, did he refer to me as his precious ball of sunshine? What?_

"That match of yours was pretty amazing. I'm glad that you made it to the finals. I hope you beat Rakuzan, my boy!"

Kuroko was unable to utter a single word. The man's personality seemed to have done a 180 degree flip. One moment, he seemed like the type who was super strict and now, he seems just like Kise. Kuroko found himself staring and couldn't stop. _Ryou-chan's family is strange._

"Ack! Ryou! Are you alright?! Speak to me!" Kise's father grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"Ryohecchi, Ryoutacchi is fine. He's just in shock that you're here." Kise's mother ― Ritsuko ― said.

"But, he is just staring. My boy looks like he's seen a ghost." Kise's father ― Ryouhei ― whined. Kuroko uttered something indescribable when he saw the man _whine_ to his wife. Everyone looked at him, worry laced in their expression.

"I'm fine Papacchi, just tired that's all."

"That's a relief." Ryouhei sighed.

"Now that that's over," Reiko smirked in Kuroko's direction. "Who's the lucky person?"

"Huh? What do you mean Reiko-nee?" Kuroko asked. He saw the face of everyone there look as though they're insinuating something.

"Don't play dumb." She said. "The moment you stepped onto the court I saw it. Have you forgotten that your jersey is a deep v-neck cut? There's no way I could've missed it. And then, you took off your shirt to exchange with Kurokocchi." She then placed a hand on his chest, gripping his shirt. She then pulled it to the side, exposing his collar bone. "So, who's the lover that managed to place a hickey on the famous teen model Kise Ryouta?"

Kuroko blushed furiously.

He then saw Ryouhei leaned backwards and folded his arms, Ritsuko beaming with happiness, Ruiko and Reiko smirking. But the aura that emitted from Ryouhei was enough to make Kuroko nearly piss his pants.

"It-It-It's Tetsucchi." He stammered out.

Silence.

"Kyaa!" Ruiko screamed out in glee. "Daddy, you hear that?! I'm going to have a cute lil' brother-in-law that I can dress up with my designs and style his hair!"

Kuroko looked at her incredulously. "He's not a doll you know."

"Really? That calm and well-mannered Kurokocchi did that to you? Who would have thought?" Reiko said in shock. But then she grinned. "I can take photographs of the two of you anywhere I want! Dad!"

_Well, they're taking it quite well._ Kuroko sighed.

"Wait, this 'Tetsucchi' is Kuroko-kun?" Ritsuko asked. Kuroko nodded in agreement. "Well, he is cute. And you've always spoken about him…"

"Who is this 'Kuroko-kun'?" Ryouhei asked.

"It's him, look!" Reiko shoved her phone into his face, and the man put a hand over his mouth.

"Are you sure he is not a she? Look at his hair, and that smile!"

And thus, the four of them started to gush about his body. He kept hearing squeals of glee coming from the females; Ryouhei kept mumbling things that strangely he was glad that he didn't hear. _Yes, Ryou-chan's family is strange._ He then chuckled, _but they're quite fun._

"So when's the wedding date?" Kuroko was taken out of his thoughts when he heard Ruiko asked that question. Obviously she was joking, but Kuroko couldn't help but fret. Kise did tell him that his family loved to mess with him. 

"Say about next week. Inter-High will end this Saturday, so they will be able to prepare themselves." Ritsuko said.

Kuroko had a sinking feeling who this conversation was centred around.

"Ah, since he has light blue hair, and Ryou has blond I think we can make the wedding theme blue and yellow." Ryouhei then perked up. "The bright sun in the middle of the clear blue sky! That's perfect for them!"

"Kyaa! I want to design the dress that Kurokocchi will be wearing!" Ruiko screamed out. "He'll be so adorable in a dress! I can see it now!"

"What do you think, Ryoucchi?" Reiko asked him. But it was too late. Kuroko had fainted.

_xxxx_

"I'm home!" Kise said as he entered though the door. He was greeted by the warm smiles of both Kuroko's parents, he was thankful that Asami's smile was so bright, if it wasn't he wouldn't have noticed her.

"Well played Tetsuya. It's only sad that Seirin didn't beat Kaijou." Hikaru started.

"That's true, but even though it hurts to lose, I don't feel as awful as I should." He replied. "I'm glad that I had fun though."

"Good, that's the way it should be." Asami joined in. "By the way, we'll be able to watch your third place match on Saturday. We'll be cheering you on."

"Thanks, Mom." He smiled. He then took a seat beside Hikaru and then the two started up a conversation whilst waiting on dinner. _I wonder how Tetsucchi faring with my sisters?_ He then shrugged his shoulders. _He'd been living with them for quite some time now, so he should be okay_. But little did Kise know what had just happened to Kuroko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	42. Inter-High Finals: Kaijou vs. Rakuzan

Chapter 42

...

Kuroko arrived late. He had overslept, due to the racket caused by Kise's family; those wedding plans were so extravagant that it unnerved him. What's more, Ruiko kept insisting that they should put 'Kuroko' in a wedding _dress…_ one that she herself would personally design. He didn't deny that it would be cute, but…still. His body is male. Add to that, he kept remembering his and Kise's exploits that night on the court. He sighed. He looked up to the clouds and saw the sun barely peeping out; it was six fifteen in the morning either way. He wanted to return home to sleep, but he knew that if they wanted to beat Rakuzan (especially now that Kise had enraged the redhead) they had to milk out everything that they could. Even if it meant sacrificing sleep.

He had crawled his way through the Kaijou's gates, and slowly made his way up to the clubroom. He sighed miserably, sad that they didn't have a DVD player in the gym. It was more spacious than the clubroom. But then again, if that should happen, it would have been either destroyed by his and Kasamatsu's training, or by the roughhousing of the boys. Yes, he concluded, putting a DVD player in a school gym was not the best of ideas.

When he finally made it up the stairs, he heard sounds that he was all too familiar with. Curiosity killed him, so he dashed towards the door and slid it open. There they were, both Seirin regulars along with Kaijou regulars. To far left, there were Kiyoshi and behind him was Kobori. Beside them in the next row were Nakamura, Shinohara and Matsumoto. But they had converged their desks in something sort of a semi-circle, starting from Nakamura who was beside Kobori.

In the middle and beside them were Hyuuga and Kasamatsu side-by-side, and in front of them in the same row were Moriyama and Izuki. Kuroko had a feeling as to why the two were in front of their captains was to keep them in check (Hyuuga preventing Izuki from saying puns, and Kasamatsu kept Moriyama from sprouting nonsense about goddesses). Kagami and Kise were closer to the door with Hayakawa behind them; both Coaches were standing on either side of the television.

"You're late, Kise-kun!" Riko shouted.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked. "In Kanagawa? At Kaijou?"

"Well, Kuroko-kun wanted to teach you something and well, we all knew that Kaijou was going to start analyzing Rakuzan in the early morning before school starts, so we decided to do a joint thing." She perked.

"More like you dragged the rest of us to tag along with the bluenet." Hyuuga mumbled.

"We've been doing a lot of joint things these days, haven't we?" Kuroko drawled.

"I don't mind. The more help we can get the better." Takeuchi joined. "Rakuzan is not to be trifled with." He then looked to Kuroko. "It's not that I don't trust your skills, Kise."

"I understand, Coach." He said as he took a seat beside Kise. Kagami rolled his eyes at this, Kise only chuckled.

Takeuchi then took out the DVD of Onita's game, the school that Seirin will face off with for third place and put in Rakuzan's quarter-final match against Shiota high. All throughout the match, no one spoke, but Kuroko scribbled furiously away and after some minutes, the match ended. Honestly, no one was surprised. Even if they hadn't made it to the finals, they all knew that anyone Rakuzan faced, they would emerge the victor. But Kuroko was sure that he'd make Kaijou's match the exception.

"All right," Takeuchi started. "What do you all think?"

"Well, the first thing that I must point out is that they held back." Moriyama said. "Since Shiota wasn't that much of a threat, they didn't need to use all their cards in that match."

"That's true." Riko agreed. "Which is where the problem lies. But continue, Moriyama-san."

"Their number seven's dribbles are dangerous. They're extremely fast plus he's agile on top of that."

"Well they don't call him lightning dribbler for nothing." Nakamura mumbled. However, only Kuroko and Kagami saw the smirk on Kise's face. They knew what that meant, subconsciously, Kuroko groaned out loud.

Kise then spoke up, "Is it just me, or did their number seven dribbled using only three fingers?"

Everyone froze.

"How'd you come to that conclusion?" Kiyoshi asked.

"If you look at how his fingers are positioned on the ball, it's quite strange. Normally, when people are dribbling, their fingers curve around the ball. But in his case, his thumb seems to be sticking out. And if your thumb sticks out, the pinky tends to follow suit."

Quickly, Takeuchi rewind the tape, and then slowed it down. Everyone but Kise blanched. This actually made it easy for him to copy Kotarou's dribble but before, it happened so fast, he had a hard time seeing properly.

"You're in for a surprise, Akashicchi." He smirked to himself.

_xxxx_

It was afterschool, the Touou gym was noisy; the boys were in the midst of their practice. Even though they had lost, Harasawa didn't dare let them slack off one moment. They all saw the match between Seirin and Kaijou, Aomine and Momoi went to watch it with their own eyes. But even though they all were defeated by the hands of Kaijou, after they had went home and cried it off, the next day, they felt better because of one thing: Aomine showed up to practice. No one bribed him. No one threatened his 'Mai-chan'…nothing. He just showed up. And what's even worse, _sometimes,_ maybe just a couple; he says some interesting and beneficial things to the other players.

But today, even though Aomine was the _new_ usual, Momoi was not. She was not her usual bubbly self, skipping and humming, but instead, she dragged herself to the stage where she just sat. She stared out into space, her eyes were no longer sparkling with exuberance but instead, they were drowning in sadness.

"Aomine," Imayoshi called. "What's wrong with Momoi?"

"I have no idea." He replied in a lazy tone. "She's been like that ever since we left the match yesterday."

"You think it's because Kuroko lost?" Wakamatsu asked.

"She may like him but she wouldn't drown herself in sorrow that doesn't belong to her."

"Then go find out!" Susa nudged him in the side. "You're her best friend right? Cheer her up! If something isn't done, are you just going to let her stay like that?!"

"No…but…"

"Go!" the boys barked at him, earning looks from the others in the gym. Momoi hadn't budged.

With a sigh, Aomine walked over to her. As he made his way, he thought about what to say to her. He tried to cook up a speech, but he quickly dismissed it. She knew him too well to accept that. He then tried to think of another way. He paused mid-stride. He was drawing blanks. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he'd comfort her. The only time he remembered was when they were really young and she had fell in mud. She cried that time, but he had carried her on his back to cheer her up. That was it.

"Shit." He mumbled. He then inhaled and exhaled. When he made it to her, he grabbed her by her shoulders, "Satsuki, what's wrong?"

"Dai-chan…" she started. "Have I ever hidden anything from you?"

"Huh? No. But where's this coming from?"

"You, Ki-chan and Tetsu-kun…you're hiding something aren't you?"

It was then that it clicked. He had asked about their predicament in front of her and then they just left her there. He dragged a hand over his face, as seeing her right now, he didn't ― _couldn't ―_ have the will to lie to her. To keep her in the dark like this. _I'm sure they wouldn't mind…right?_ He thought. But just to make sure, he held her wrist and then walked over to the door where they exited.

"Dai-chan?"

"You have your phone right?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Lend me."

She took it out of her pocket and gave it to him. Speedily, he dialed away and then put the phone at his ear. After two rings, the person answered.

" _Momocchi? What's up?_ " the voice perked.

"Tetsu, it's me."

" _Aomine-kun."_ His voice lost all the chirp it had, and went into monotone. " _How may I help you?"_

"Can I tell Satsuki? Please. She's crying and tearing up and she's a mess! I can't stand to see her like this! Please Tetsu, it's not like she'll tell anyone. I'm begging you."

"…"

"Tetsu?"

" _I'll talk to Momoi-san."_ Aomine could hear the stress in the boy's voice.

"Thanks, Tetsu."

" _Hn. Sure, Aominecchi."_ Kuroko laughed at that, and then hung up the phone before Aomine could say anything. Before he could close down the phone, it rang again, the caller I.D 'Ki-chan' coming up. He quickly gave it to her, and she answered.

"Ki-chan?"

" _Hello, Momoi-san. It's me Kuroko."_

She gasped.

" _Before you say anything. Yes, Ryou-kun and I have switched bodies. We don't know what caused it or how long it will last for. Don't tell anyone. More than enough people know about it currently."_

"Then that means, Tetsu-kun…Ki-chan is the one who gave you the hickey then?!" her mood was brightening at that. She was somewhat relieved, seeing that Tetsu-kun wasn't the one to do such a thing.

" _Yes, Momoi-san."_

"Then…then…"

" _Yes, we are together at the moment and will be for the rest of our lives."_

"Really? For the rest of your lives?!"

" _Can we talk later? Ryou-kun and I are busy."_

"A-alright."

The phone then hung up, Momoi looked better than she had before, but that last sentence sent her imagination on a wild ride.

_xxxx_

Back in Kaijou, Kuroko sighed as he hung up the phone. Kise for once didn't know what to say, and he didn't try to. They knew that she could keep her mouth shut, but they wondered if she would last should Akashi show up. The last time he came to Seirin hoping to find out what was the cause of Aomine's strange thinking and they wouldn't want him to question Momoi. It wouldn't end well.

"Well, now that the phone call is over, let's get back to training!" Kise perked. "You're halfway there!"

Kuroko groaned aloud. The gym was extremely noisy, both Seirin and Kaijou in the same place proved to be disastrous. Since Kasamatsu had told Riko that they'd win for their sake and that since Kuroko is originally from Seirin, since he hadn't lost a match as yet, she shouldn't make the team go naked. But this meant, if Kaijou loses, both teams will _have_ to go naked. The Kaijou boys were thrown into an uproar, and for the first time since Kuroko had switched with Kise, it was not his fault. When Takeuchi heard about this, he was confused. He didn't know if he should agree with it or disagree. But when he saw how fervently they were practicing, he deduced that it is a very good method to get them training.

Hyuuga's screams echoed, Kagami and Hayakawa's shouts reverberated off the walls, the bouncing of the ball and the swish of nets resounded. The shouts of both the coaches were strangely higher than the rest of the noise, their instructions crystal clear to both teams.

"Ryou-kun, there something I have to tell you."

"What's that?"

"Your family…they-they-they're planning our wedding."

Kise pretended to be shocked. "What?"

"We. Are. Going. To. Be. Wedded."

"Hmmm," he hummed. "That's nice."

"What?! Your sisters want to put you in a dress!" Kuroko almost ripped his hair out in distress.

"Ah…how beautiful that will be." Kise was actually drooling. But he was just playing along. He knew that his family didn't mean it, after all, they did the same thing to Reiko when she was dating at the time. 

" _What?!_ " this time Kuroko actually _screeched._ "Ruiko would design that thing herself! How can you…"

"All the better. I'll rock it with such elegance that everyone would be in awe, thinking that a goddess has descended." Kise smirked. Kuroko paled. "You have no idea how to capitalize on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity such as this. To see my beloved Tetsucchi in a wedding dress…smiling and making all sorts of expressions of joy and happiness…" he cooed. "It's going to be bliss. The honeymoon would be a blast." He placed a hand to stop his nose from bleeding any further.

Kuroko rubbed his forehead. "I should have realized. You're as crazy as they are." He then sighed. Looking at the boy, he realized that _his_ parents are out of this equation…and that's not a good thing.

"But that's not the issue here; did you tell my parents?" he then asked.

Kise had the guiltiest look on his face before he mumbled out, "No."

Glancing around him, he saw that everyone was busy and wouldn't notice them slipping out. He then dashed towards Kise's bag and took out his phone and then quickly made his way back to blue-haired teen. He then gave him the phone, Kise knew what he had to do. He dialed Hikaru's number and then put the phone on speaker. After two rings, he answered.

" _Tetsuya?"_

"Dad, I'm just letting you know that I'm dating Ryou-chan."

There was no instant reply. They waited for about thirty seconds before Hikaru said something again.

" _Give me a second."_

What they heard next left the two boys sweating bullets.

_Crash!_

_Shatter!_

_Boom!_

" _Hikaru-san! Don't destroy the furniture!" a voice screeched._

" _Sir! What's gotten into you!?" this voice was alarmed and distressed._

" _Shit! Hikaru! Don't throw him through the window!" Another voice yelled._

Kise blanched. He then looked to Kuroko who was sweating abnormally. "Tet-Tetsucchi, this is what I'm supposed to face this evening? Are you sick in your mind?!"

"Don't worry; he's your current father. He won't kill you." Kuroko replied. "I'm the one who should be fretting."

" _Tetsuya? You still there?"_

"Ah, yes Dad." Kise replied swiftly, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

" _Could you bring Ryouta-kun over on Saturday? I need to talk to him."_

"Sure, he'd be glad to."

The call then ended, Kise exhaling a breath. But before he could say anything, the gym doors swung open to revealing a very upset Riko. Wordlessly, the boys dashed back into the gym to avoid getting more training on top of what they had to do.

_xxxx_

Finally, it was the time for Inter-High finals between Kaijou and Rakuzan. When Seirin had left their locker room after winning their third-place match, they noticed that the gymnasium was almost ram-packed and more people kept pouring in. To one side, they spotted the Yosen team with their coach sitting peacefully, and a couple rows further up were Shutoku and their coach. As a matter of fact, there were a lot of teams present, and well, no one could wrong them. Anyone who watched their semi-final would be on edge for this game to start.

Another thing they noticed was that a number of the patrons present had on blue. Riko chuckled at the sight, seeing that because of Kuroko's strange schemes, Kaijou had risen to fame as the team with the most unusual formations and tactics that no one has ever seen before. They then made their way to some vacant seats, which was the front row in the middle section of the gymnasium. They sat in front of the railings, glad that they got good seats.

"Ki-chan!"

Seirin froze. Kise turned around to see Aomine and Momoi sitting quite contently behind the row that they had chosen. But, the entire team heard when Momoi called him by his name. Hyuuga looked to Aomine with a venomous aura that made him seem like a demon lord. Aomine flinched when he saw it, and wondered if this was going to be his last basketball game.

"Aomine…" Hyuuga started.

"Captain, don't kill him. It was Tetsucchi who told her because her boyfriend here didn't like the fact that he kept such a secret from her." Kise explained. This sentence, caused eyebrows to rise.

"Who would have thought?" Riko said. "Pink and navy blue. Not a bad match."

"I'm not her boyfriend! Kise, you bastard!" he made an attempt to lunge after the grinning boy but he quickly drew back. Seeing Tetsu's body was the main reason that the boy hadn't received his wrath. "You're lucky you're in Tetsu's body."

Kise smirked. "I know right."

Just then, the crowd roused up. The two teams had entered the court, and what was even worse, both sides gave off an intense feeling that it could even be felt in the crowds…and the match hasn't even started yet. Aomine and Kagami grinned at this, the former eager to see what kind of play the two teams will bring out. Kagami, since he was at Kaijou, he knew what Kuroko had planned and couldn't help himself.

The players headed straight for their benches, but everyone saw how deadly Rakuzan seemed. Even the Kaijou guys noticed this as well, but they all knew the reason for this. Akashi Seijuurou was pissed from Thursday.

"Shit, I can still see the hand-print on his cheek even though it's a bit faded." Moriyama said. "That means…he got one hell of a slap."

"Of course, it had echoed in the hallway remember?" Nakamura added.

"Enough!" Kasamatsu said. "We can talk about his cheek later! Right now, we have to win this! Give everything we have until we can't give anymore! LET'S GO, KAIJOU!"

"YEAH!"

_Before we start the game, let us introduce the two teams. First in the white uniforms, Rakuzan High. Coach, Shirogane Eiji. And now introducing the starting members…_

The announcer had called out every one of them, the crowd cheering them on. But when he had reached Akashi's name, they seemed to erupt. His cool but intimidating demeanor spoke volumes, but for Seirin and company in the crowd, they were close to laughing.

Kise had spotted the reddened area on Akashi's face and knew that that was from the slap. Without hitch, he quickly pointed it out to everyone, Kagami not holding back his guffaw. Aomine and Momoi wondered just how the boys were still alive.

_Next in the blue uniforms, Kaijou High._ The moment the announcer said this, the crowd seemed to have lost their minds. Screams and shouts and hooting escalated, the announcer had to pause a while before he could start up again.

_Coach, Takeuchi Genta. And now introducing the starting members…_

_Number ten, Hayakawa Mitsuhiro._ The power shouted something incomprehensible before he made his way to the court.

_Number eight, Kobori Kouji._ The centre only nodded as he followed behind Hayakawa.

_Number seven, Kise Ryouta._ The crowd went wild with screams, due to the fact that most of the people there were Kise's fangirls. He then made his way to the court.

_Number five, Moriyama Yoshitaka._ The shooting guard walked onto the court, sparkling, after that introduction, he knew that his goddess would come looking for him.

_Number four and Captain, Kasamatsu Yukio. We will now begin the Inter-High finals between Kaijou High school and Rakuzan High school._

The players got into position, Kobori and Nebuya facing off for the tip-off. When Akashi saw Kaijou's set up, he was struck with bewilderment, as all of their players except Moriyama were still in their court. 'Ryouta' simply stood swinging back and forth with his hands behind his back, Kasamatsu was across from him but instead of looking at Rakuzan, he was looking at his players.

Their shooting guard was positioned behind Kotarou who was the furthest away from the centre. Akashi knew something was up, as all around their school he's heard of people calling them 'The Unorthodox Blue Elites'. He scoffed at the title.

The ball was then thrown into the air, the two centres jumped for it. Fortunately, Kobori managed to get the ball and he passed it to Kuroko. Without hitch, he redirected it to Kasamatsu who sent it rocketing to Moriyama who was already making his way down to his spot. Thanks to the training, He reached the three-point line in time, and made a three.

Akashi and everyone's eyes widened with shock.

Moriyama then made his way back with a smile on his face, Kuroko gave him a high-five. Even the audience themselves were shocked, but they knew that they should expect crazy antics from Kaijou.

"Wow, he made that shot fast." Aomine said.

"Well, it's because he started to move the moment Kobori jumped. He took small steps backwards so as to not cause anyone to notice, until Kuroko passed the ball to Kasamatsu that's when he started running." Kiyoshi said.

"Oh."

The crowd then roused up causing them to refocus on the match. Akashi had the ball and was making his way into Kaijou's half. Kasamatsu came up to block him, but he quickly passed the ball behind his back to Nebuya, as Kobori had been screened out by Mayuzumi. Seeing the hulk thundering towards him, Hayakawa didn't even try to block him that much when he went for the basket.

"We're taking back our points!" Nebuya shouted. The moment he jumped to make the shot, Kuroko knocked the ball from his hands, Hayakawa snatching it in time and running off.

Akashi was not pleased.

The Kaijou guys hurried off into Rakuzan's court, but the moment he crossed the line, Akashi stood before him. Hayakawa bounced the ball until the others (namely Kuroko and Kasamatsu) were in close range. However, when Hayakawa looked at Akashi again, the aura he gave off was frightening. When everyone saw this, they knew that the beast has awakened.

Hayakawa then tried to pass the ball to Moriyama who was closest to him, but Mayuzumi intercepted it and passed it Kotarou. He then dribbled down the court but the Kaijou guys were fast. Within a blink, the Kaijou players were already upon Rakuzan. Kasamatsu marked Akashi at the top of the circle, Kuroko marked Kotarou at the free –throw circle, Moriyama marked Mibuchi at the left wing. Kobori and Nebuya were under the net, Hayakawa and Mayuzumi were unmarked.

Kotarou still had the ball, but he smirked at Kuroko.

"I heard that you can copy people's moves." He started.

"Yes,"

"I was wondering if you can copy my lightning dribble!" he smiled.

Kuroko held down his head to hide the grin. _Hayama-san, you don't know that it had already been copied from yesterday._ He then raised his head and looked at him. "We'll have to wait and see."

Kotarou smirked playfully, and then started dribbling. Kuroko noticed that he was using three fingers, and he thanked God that Kise had long enough hair. He had to hide the grin that suddenly appeared on his face. The dribble was loud and echoed all the way up to the audience, but Kuroko didn't mind that. After all, when Kise copied Kotarou's lightning dribble, he added Aomine's speed and agility along with it…Kuroko was actually relieved that that nightmare was over.

Kotarou dribbled past him, but anyone could see that 'Kise' was up to something. The moment Kotarou had passed him, he turned to look at the boy as though nothing happened. Kotarou on the other hand was not amused. Due to his mind being distracted that 'Kise' hadn't put up much of a fight, he failed to realize that it was planned. As soon as that happened, Hayakawa stormed towards him and knocked the ball away. But sadly, Mayuzumi had come up as well, snatched the bouncing ball and passed it to Nebuya.

Not wanting to disappoint his already furious captain, and really wanting to get back at Kaijou, Nebuya used his gigantic size to dunk against Kobori.

They then headed back quickly, but all the while this was happening, Rakuzan had failed to notice that Kuroko kept looking at them with a calculating gaze. Hayakawa had then retrieved the ball, and passed it to Kasamatsu. He then dribbled down court with everyone ahead, but Kuroko was the only one close by him. By the time Kasamatsu came up to the top of the circle, Akashi was there waiting for him, and the captain could feel the rage oozing out of him.

Kuroko flinched a little, but when he looked at Kasamatsu, a light chuckle escaped his lips. The captain looked fired up than usual, and instead of feeling fear or whatever, Kasamatsu looked at Akashi like he was some wild beast that needed to be tamed. During their discussion, no one needed to tell Kasamatsu that his mark would be Akashi, the third year was actually asking for it. He was still pissed at what Akashi said, both about his team and Seirin and about calling Kuroko a prototype.

All throughout the switch, Kasamatsu has come to realize that when it comes to passing, there's no one who's better than Kuroko. He's seen instances where Kuroko creates passes on the spot and well, for the passes that he's honed through trial and error, they're fucking amazing. He then glanced around the court in search of Rakuzan's phantom but when he heard Kuroko clear his throat, he remembered that he had a match to play.

He then made a drive for the net, by trying to pass Akashi on his left but the redhead moved as well. His calm demeanor was somewhat pissing Kasamatsu off, as it seemed as though he was looking down on him…on them.

With a quick pivot, he stormed past but Akashi was there on his right. With a smirk, he released the ball behind him to Kuroko who then redirected it to Hayakawa who was free. Quickly, the power forward made a layup, thanks to Kobori who was keeping Nebuya at bay.

But the audience noticed that there was something about the two teams. Comparing this match to their semi-finals with Seirin, many people know that Kaijou were holding back currently.

"Both teams are going easy." Aomine said. "It's almost as though they thought of doing the same thing."

"Well, Rakuzan seems to be testing Kaijou." Riko said. "Kuroko-kun on the other hand, while he's being cautious, he's also calculating. That's why he hasn't done much since the game started."

"Even though he ripped them to shreds yesterday." Kagami said.

"I think Kuroko just wants to observe them closer than from DVD videos. That way, he can make necessary adjustments to his schemes." Koganei added his bit.

"Why are you all referring to Tetsu-kun like that? His schemes?" Momoi asked.

"You have no idea how twisted that little bastard thinks." Kagami answered. "Akashi may be a good shogi player and all that, and even if he analyzes Kaijou's previous matches, Kuroko will always create something new that he'd never expect."

"I do not doubt Tetsu, but Akashi is dangerous. He wasn't our captain for nothing."

"Well, let's see how the match between the evil strategists goes." Kise chuckled. "After all, if Akashicchi continues to treat this like shogi, he's in for a scary surprise." Even though Kise was laughing and smiling, anyone could tell that he's still pissed. Well, they all were.

They then looked back to the court to see Rakuzan with the ball; Akashi walking with the ball like the court was his domain. When he came up to Kasamatsu, Akashi didn't even give him a chance to react; he quickly passed the ball to Mayuzumi who redirected it to Kotarou. The small forward then dribbled to the net, but then Hayakawa jumped to block him when he attempted a shot. However, Kotarou quickly switched mid-air, and did a double clutch instead.

Once more, in all this, no one realized how Kuroko was watching.

When Kaijou were on the offense, Kuroko regrouped with everyone first.

"Senpai, get the ball around _normally._ Leave our passing style for the fourth quarter." He started. Kasamatsu nodded. "Moriyama-senpai get ready to make some shots, Kobori-senpai keep up your defense. Don't try to match that beast's weight. Find your own centre of gravity and everything will flow from there." Kobori nodded his understanding. "Hayakawa-senpai, rebounds are all yours. As for me, I'll storm in sometime but other than that, I'll play it normal."

"Hai!"

Kasamatsu dribbled the ball down court and while everyone else had gone on ahead. Once everyone saw 'Kise' in the paint area, they knew that he was going to be attacking. Kasamatsu couldn't deal with Akashi now, so he ran up to the point guard and the moment he reached him, he bounced the ball through his legs, Hayakawa snatching it and then passing it to Kuroko. Without hitch, the blond turned and jumped for a shot. Kotarou was quick for the block, but Kuroko changed his pace just like how Kise taught him and dashed towards the net.

Kotarou was shocked. By the time he reached back to the ground, Kuroko was already getting ready to make a layup, Kobori keeping Nebuya in check and Hayakawa with Mayuzumi. Not that the phantom was actually trying anything.

When Kuroko had made the shot, he unintentionally looked over in Mayuzumi's direction, which somehow startled the phantom. Even though they met on Thursday, Mayuzumi knows that 'Kise' has an eye for him. No one has ever really noticed his presence before upon first glance, and he had a feeling that 'Kise' is going to eventually mark him.

"This match is finally getting started. I was starting to fall asleep." Aomine drawled.

"What are you?" Kise asked. "Tetsucchi told me that in his match, you said that you wanted to sleep as well. Are you suffering from some disease that makes you drowsy?"

"Shut up Kise!" Aomine retorted. "This match is extremely boring. It lacks the firepower like your match. Tsch, I wished that one of you had faced them in a semi-final and then the two of you would here."

"Well…" Hyuuga started. "I think it's too early for you to say so."

"Yeah, Kuroko hasn't even got the ball rolling yet." Izuki joined in. "Plus, Rakuzan hasn't shown us their cards."

"That's right, Dai-chan!" Momoi chirped. "You're too quick to fall asleep!"

The match progressed, and nothing special happened. For a final match between two amazing schools, the match was eerily normal. Both teams' shooting guards made threes as much as they got the ball, their point guards making good plays for the other players. The centres both defended their nets and provided good screens for those shooting.

Kuroko had fun as well, Kotarou blocked him many times but with his speed, the lightning dribbler found it hard to keep up with him. Kuroko changes his pace ever so often, sometimes he allows Kotarou to catch him up and sometimes he leaves him in his dust. However, with Kotarou getting upset, he decided to use all five fingers on Kuroko. But, that was all a part of the blond's schemes.

When Takeuchi watched the match, he saw that 'Kise' never ceases to amaze him. So far, things are looking good in their way, but what he was worried about is the second quarter. He then glanced at the clock and noticed that his fear his almost upon him. It was just fifteen seconds remaining in this quarter and he looked to Matsumoto and Shinohara and found that they were sweating from nervousness.

He sighed aloud, and wondered if they're going to be alright.

The buzzer then sounded, the referee's voice sounding, "End of the first quarter. Two minute interval!"

The teams quickly made their way to their benches, and without any ado, Kuroko started.

"Matsumoto-san, Shinohara-san, are you ready?"

"We'll be." Matsumoto managed to say. "I'm nervous, and I feel like I may shit myself but yeah, I'll be ready."

"Just don't deviate from what we discussed. If you stick to the plan you should be just fine." Kobori said.

"Yeah," he nodded. Kasamatsu and Kuroko then took a seat on the bench while Matsumoto and Shinohara took off their shirts and get ready to head out onto the court. Even though he was nervous, Matsumoto was actually eager to go on. He hadn't played in any matches, as Nakamura is always the one who takes 'Kise's' space whenever he's not playing. Shinohara had gotten a taste of it in the semi-final against Seirin, and honestly, he wondered why the black-haired teen was shaking. In his eyes, Seirin was more vicious and scarier than Rakuzan.

"Go knock him out, Matsucchi!" Kuroko perked.

"I told you not to call me that, Kise!"

"Do your best Shinohara." Kasamatsu encouraged. "Teach that first year brat a lesson."

"I'll try to." He replied shakily.

"Break is over! Let the second quarter begin!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	43. Kaijou vs. Rakuzan: Second and Third Quarter

Chapter 43

...

When everyone saw that Kasamatsu and Kuroko ('Kise' in most cases) had been benched, they were beyond shocked. For those who saw the semi-final, they knew that number six (Shinohara) was a great ball handler and point guard but number eleven (Matsumoto) was an unknown factor. No one has seen him before, and what made it worst for Matsumoto, his body was the type that refused to grow muscles no matter how hard he's trained.

Akashi raised an eyebrow at this and looked across to Kaijou's bench. 'Ryouta' was sitting directly beside their coach, and Kasamatsu was beside the blond. He seemed to be explaining something, as the look on his face was serious. Akashi shook his head. The Ryouta he knew was an airhead mostly, who whined a lot and such. There's no way he could be making plans currently.

Focusing back on the match, he smirked, as the two players that were just subbed on looked as though they were about to keel over from fright. He walked to his players and then said,

"Remember what we discussed. I will not tolerate anything less." His voice was domineering. "I do not want a repeat of the first quarter." When he said this his eyes looked to the scoreboard. Both teams were tied at eighteen points, and Akashi felt that it was time that they widened the point gap.

The game restarted with a throw in from Rakuzan, Kotarou gave the ball to Akashi. He then made his way down court where Shinohara came to block him. The aura that oozed out of Akashi made him wonder if he was really a year younger than him. He seemed to be on a different level. But nevertheless, he was determined not to let Akashi pass him…or the ball.

Akashi then did a right to left to right crossover which Shinohara followed. However, the moment he'd done so, Akashi passed the ball left into Kotarou's waiting arms, but Shinohara was quick to pick up on this action, so his fingers managed to graze it. It bounced off the floor, but the small forward managed to catch it. Seeing this, Matsumoto went to stop him in his tracks.

"Hmm, you think you can stop me?" he said as he bounced the ball.

"I'll try." The brunet replied.

"I guess three will be enough then." Kotarou then started his famous lightning dribble, Matsumoto sighed a relief. He knew that after this, he'd have to thank 'Kise' and 'Kuroko', but what he was mostly relieved of was the fact that Kotarou didn't use five fingers. After four dribbles, Kotarou broke past Matsumoto. However, Matsumoto was able to catch him back. But then Kotarou did a right to left crossover to pass Matsumoto on his left.

Instead of looking triumphant, Matsumoto looked relieved. The moment Kotarou passed him; he used his left hand to knock the ball from the Raiju's hand. Hayakawa was quick to snatch it and they dashed towards Rakuzan's net.

The crowd erupted with cheers, seeing someone ― _an_ _unknown player_ ― steal the ball from Hayama Kotarou who's famous for his unstoppable lightning dribble.

"Wow! He stopped it!" Koganei shouted. "Kuroko was right!"

"Yep, well unlike me, he got around to know all the members of our basketball club. So he knew that Matsumoto would be the right one to put on Hayama." Kise answered. He looked a bit doleful. Kagami didn't miss this and he wondered if the blue-haired teen would be alright. It was creepy to see Kuroko's face making all those expressions but it was even worse whenever the ball of sunshine was sad.

"Huh?" Aomine said.

"Matsumoto-kun or number eleven in your case, he's an amazing dribbler. He may not have a super fast dribble but trust me, he's got an arsenal." Riko answered.

"But how did he manage to get the ball from Hayama-kun?" Momoi asked.

"Because he's left-handed. He forced Hayama-kun to pass him on his left so he could use his dominant hand to its full."

On Kaijou's bench, Takeuchi was pleased. At first, he had been skeptical about putting Matsumoto on Kotarou, but 'Kise' had been adamant. Well, now he's glad that he'd given into the blond's request, and when he stole a look in his direction, he saw that he had on a small smile. He then looked back to the match in time to see Shinohara with Akashi at the top of the circle, the shooting guards at the right wing, the small forwards in the paint, the centres under the net and Hayakawa was free. He had also noticed that he could only see four of Rakuzan's players but he knew that 'Kise' had already taken care of that.

Shinohara had the ball bouncing and looked at his possible options. He could try to drive past Akashi but he knew that the redheaded first year had some trick up his sleeve. He then looked to the wing, and saw that Mibuchi's defense was giving Moriyama a hard time. He looked at the paint and saw a seething Kotarou. _Passing to Matsu with that beast near him wouldn't be such a good idea._ He thought. The safest choice he had right now was Hayakawa, but he knew that the phantom was somewhere lurking.

Shinohara then looked to the right but then he moved to the left instead. But Akashi was not to be taken lightly. He blocked Shinohara on his left and with swift movements; he stole the ball from Shinohara and made his way towards Kaijou net. Shinohara chased him down and had caught him up in time. Akashi then drew back a step, and then dribbled around Shinohara. But Kaijou's point guard was persistent. He still managed to block him but then Akashi made an aerial pass to Nebuya.

Thanks to Kobori's good defense, Nebuya was then forced to pass to Mibuchi. He jumped to make a shot, Moriyama jumped to block the shot. But while he did so, on the bench, Nakamura watched the shooting guard with examining eyes. During their planning, they all had noticed that there was something odd about his shooting forms. And thus, even though it pains their heart, they had agreed to let Mibuchi make threes while Nakamura sits and tries to figure out the secret behind his forms.

"Shit." Shinohara said as he watched the ball enter the hoop. Matsumoto walked up and held him on his shoulder.

"Don't mind." He tried to cheer him up. "Let's get back our points, Shin."

Hayakawa retrieved the ball and passed it to Shinohara. He then made his way down court while the others got into position. When Shinohara made it to Akashi, he bounced the ball in front of him and then grabbed it while pivoting on his right leg. He then passed it to Hayakawa who had run pass and the power forward then passed it to Matsumoto was open.

Kotarou quickly came to block him, but Matsumoto picked up his dribbling speed. When he reached his preferred speed, he then seemed as though he was about to make a crossover. Kotarou anticipated this, so he moved slightly to the left to block Matsumoto. But, he was shocked when the boy pushed the ball back out with the same hand.

_He faked?!_

Matsumoto dashed past Kotarou with great speed, but Kotarou caught him back. In the instant he'd done so, Matsumoto then switched the hand the ball was in and then spun on his left leg to face into Moriyama's direction. He then bounced it to the shooting guard who then chest passed it to Shinohara who had run to them. With a tap, the point guard then sent into Kobori's direction, and quickly he made a layup.

"He's a good dribbler." Kotarou said. "Then that means I can take it up a notch."

"Do something about that number eleven Kotarou. If not, I'll sub you out." Akashi said. "I'll handle their number six."

"Sorry Akashi! He won't get away the next time!" Kotarou apologize. But then his face darkened. "I'll make sure of it."

On the Kaijou bench, Kuroko the players' disposition had changed, so he stood up and shouted,

"Matsumoto-san, Shinohara-san! It's coming!"

When they heard this, the two started sweating. Even though all of Rakuzan's players were not to be taken lightly, they fretted the most. Matsumoto has to deal with Kotarou whose dribbling seems otherworldly and well; Shinohara has to mark Akashi Seijuurou. The former captain of the Generation of Monsters ― er ― Miracles.

 _There's no way I'll survive._ Shinohara inwardly cried. But then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking at the person, he saw that it was his Senpai, Kobori.

"Just play like you. Don't worry too much about Akashi. Kise knows that you aren't up to his level and he isn't asking you to be." Kobori said to be worrying second year.

"Matsumoto, that first steal was amazing. Even if Hayama brings out the five fingers, I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with it." Moriyama said with a smile. "After all, goddesses are watching. We should do our utmost best!"

"Ah, yeah, thanks Moriyama-san."

"Now ret's do this!" Hayakawa shouted.

Rakuzan was on offense this time, and once more, it was Shinohara versus Akashi, Kotarou versus Matsumoto. No one really watched anyone else on the court, as people thought that the showdown was between those four. Shinohara tried to block Akashi but the redhead passed the ball to a (presumably) empty space and within a blink, the ball had made its way to Mibuchi who made an effortless three.

It was the same type of shot as previously and subconsciously, Kuroko found himself looking to Nakamura. The shooting guard was still observing Mibuchi with a focused gaze but he had given him until the end of the quarter to figure out the weakness.

Kaijou's possession, Shinohara had the ball. He was a bit peeved about that pass…but what also pissed him off was the phantom. No matter how he looked around the court for the guy, he just couldn't find him. It was then that he felt what the others had when they played Seirin at the practice match, but at least Kuroko had been more active than this one.

As he made his way to the top of the circle where Akashi was, he once more looked around for those available. Hayakawa was free, Moriyama had Mibuchi at the wing, the centres were under the net, Kotarou was at the free-throw circle with Matsumoto. But then, he noticed something. To his left, there was a wide open space as though no one was there.

It was then that it clicked. If he were to try to pass to Hayakawa, the ball would've been stolen because there's the possibility that that was where the phantom was. He could always attempt to pass to Matsumoto but then again, that phantom may intercept it and pass it to Kotarou. And if he tried to pass to Moriyama, Akashi could intercept it.

When he had weighed his options, he realized that they were in a sticky situation. Hayakawa was the only one free but he was close to the net should any shot rebound. He smirked. He then took a huge step backwards, and then went into shooting form. Akashi had run up to steal the ball but he shot it. He was taller than the redhead either way.

When Hayakawa saw Shinohara shoot the ball, he knew that he should get ready for the rebound. In Kaijou, he was famous for being the only player who can't shoot a three to save his life. When the ball bounced off the net, Hayakawa's shout could be heard from a mile away, as he grabbed it. He then passed it to Moriyama who quickly made a three.

"Hmm, that point guard is smart." Izuki said, leaning forward. "He made the right decision to shoot the ball instead of passing."

"I see. But why didn't he make a drive to his left and pass to Hayakawa?" Tsuchida asked. "He could've done that."

"Shinohara is smart." Riko said. "Seeing the empty space, and the formation, he probably deduced that Mayuzumi was in that region so passing the ball would have been a bad choice. And since Hayakawa-kun is a rebound specialist, he can always shoot knowing that even if it misses, Hayakawa will catch it."

They refocused on the match, to see Kotarou with the ball facing off with Matsumoto. Once more, the loud dribble echoed throughout the gymnasium, people being irritated at the sound. Matsumoto trembled, seeing that he's using his five fingers this time. _Watch his feet and listen to the sound of the ball._ He remembered 'Kise's' words clearly, and tried to concentrate.

He closed his eyes and listened keenly to the sound, so when the ball bounced off the ground and Kotarou drove for the net, Matsumoto back-tipped the ball and sending it bouncing forwards. Being swift and the only one who's always free, Hayakawa snatched the ball and made his way to Rakuzan's net, Moriyama and Kobori catching up to the power forward with their speed. Matsumoto and Shinohara were fast as well, but they weren't at the training camp, so they lagged behind the boys.

Hayakawa then passed the ball to Kobori who then swiftly passed to Moriyama. He got into position and got ready to make a shot. Mibuchi came up to block him, but he was a second too late, fortunately for Kaijou. The pitiful prince landed his shot cleanly, Kaijou earning another three points.

Their bench erupted, their supporters screaming. Kise rose to his feet and cheered as well; Riko and the others had to force him to sit down. But either way, Kaijou was now in the lead at twenty-six and Rakuzan was on twenty-four.

When Akashi saw that he was behind in points, he was more than upset. Nebuya quickly retrieved the ball, and passed it to Akashi. His rage and discontent seeped out of his body in waves. As he walked towards Kaijou's court, his heterochromatic eyes blazed.

He then dashed towards Shinohara and with swift dribbling, Shinohara found himself on the floor. Akashi walked past as though Shinohara was just an obstacle in his way and he overcame it. Matsumoto motioned to stop the boy but Kotarou kept him there. Hayakawa then dashed to stop the redheaded captain, but he was met with the same fate.

Ankle break.

Akashi had then made it up into the paint and made a shot, due to the others blocking the Kaijou players.

Kuroko watched with horror as he never anticipated that Akashi would have used ankle break so early in the game. For crying out loud, it was just five minutes in. he then turned to Kasamatsu.

"Senpai, if he should use ankle break on you, don't try to follow. When you realize, take a step back, so that you don't fall."

"Thanks for that advice." He replied. "I just hope it hasn't broken Shinohara's already weak confidence."

"I hope not."

Back on the court, Shinohara was helped up by Matsumoto and Kobori, Moriyama saying words of encouragement. The point guard still looked a little despondent, and Kuroko was wondering whether or not he should keep him in the game. But if he did, he would have to change his plans a bit…with a sigh, he stood up and looked at Takeuchi.

"Coach," he started.

"I'm gonna get back at that redheaded midget!" Kuroko nearly bust with laughter when he heard Shinohara's voice. It was still shaky… _he_ was still shaking, but the look on his face made Kuroko rethink what he was going to do.

"Kise? Is there something…?" Takeuchi asked.

"No, I was just getting worked up for nothing."

When the match continued, Kuroko noticed that Shinohara seemed to be determined than before. He tried to match Akashi's speed when he kept doing his drives or crossovers, but he just couldn't break free of the ankle break. The moment Akashi found him to be a nuisance he'd break it out and make him fall on his butt.

But that didn't mean that he didn't help Kaijou as well. As a point guard, Shinohara made few mistakes, if any, and he was able to size up the situation and choose the wisest option. Even though he can never see where Mayuzumi was, when he looked around the court, he could deduce the likeliest place the phantom would be waiting for a steal. Matsumoto on the other hand, while he had Kotarou to deal with, he wasn't that much successful against the lightning dribble, though sometimes he managed to get Kotarou to go where he wanted. But when it was Matsumoto's time with the ball, best believe that the boy broke out his dribbles as well that had Kotarou for a loop. While they may not be super fast like Kotarou's, they're tricky as well. And to that, the fact that Matsumoto's ball-handling skills could rival that of any point guard.

It seemed that those two stole the show from the other Kaijou players, as the crowd keeps cheering them on. They had a duo thing going on for them and Kuroko smiled at that. The two would usually set up two person games that would blow the crowd.

One instance, Shinohara had the ball and made his way to the top of the circle where Akashi was but the moment he'd come to the redhead, he then bounced the ball to Matsumoto who was nearby and then moved off. Matsumoto then passed the ball back to him and then passed to Hayakawa who passed to Moriyama as he couldn't take a shot with Nebuya and Kotarou down there.

Moriyama shot the ball, but because of Mibuchi his shot bounced off the rim of the net. But he was all smiles, because Hayakawa never fails them underneath the net.

Another time the two did a pick and roll. While Shinohara made his way with the ball, Matsumoto had set up a screen against Akashi to let Shinohara pass freely. But as soon as the point guard came close, he slipped behind the redhead and received the ball from him and dribbled into the paint where he faced Kotarou. Knowing that he doesn't have anything special like Kotarou, Matsumoto simply used two different dribbles to get through. The first one he used was the hesitation dribble, and when he'd done so, he looked to the left at Hayakawa and to the right at Moriyama.

Seeing this action, it made Kotarou think that he's thinking about passing to either of the two boys. However, Matsumoto then went into a crossover while doing the different heights dribble. Since Kotarou was a bit shorter than he was, it was effective and it kept the ball away from the lightning dribbler.

Matsumoto and Shinohara pulled the guys along, getting them pumped and excited. Even the crowd was appalled by the two's teamwork, and never stopped cheering.

But Rakuzan was not to be forgotten. Whenever they were on the offense, they stormed in Kaijou's half, and what was strange none of them had any look of worry. They all looked as though it was a walk in the park.

Akashi's wide field of vision enabled him to get the ball to his subjects, with or without the help of Mayuzumi's misdirection. But when the phantom acted, it pissed off Kaijou to no end, but whenever they stole glances at their bench and caught the look on 'Kise's' face, they pulled together and did their best. There were many times when Akashi or the ball or both managed to get away from Shinohara's defense and he would just look at the Blue Elite with an air of arrogance that always drove him up the wall.

Kotarou's dribbling proved to be difficult for Matsumoto, and many times, the boy was happy that human beings didn't have six fingers on one hand. Kotarou by himself he could keep up with but the dribbling was a pain in the ass. Many times, Kotarou dashed past him with ease, the loud dribble grating on his ear drums.

Nebuya and Kobori often times battled it out under the net, and even though he was given advice, Kobori was having difficulty with the other. His body was huge and thick…that meant in all that muscle there's power. It was a constant tug-of-war under the net, and he was glad that Hayakawa was always free to get the rebounds. If he wasn't then it would have been difficult to keep Nebuya from reaching the balls.

The shooting guards felt their share as well. Feeling empowered that goddesses are watching, Moriyama made it his mission to sink every ball he got. He even put the training camp to good use, even though he wasn't as good as Hyuuga; he made most of his threes go in even though Mibuchi was guarding him. For the Rakuzan shooting guard, he made as much threes as often as he got the ball, which sadly was more than Moriyama. His shots were always elegant, but they were always the same shots since he didn't recognize Moriyama as a threat.

All in all, the second quarter was back and forth for both teams, but Rakuzan had most of the possession thanks to Mayuzumi. Even though Shinohara can assume where he might be, the others may not. And sometimes, his voice just isn't loud enough.

The first half ended with Rakuzan on thirty-eight, Kaijou on thirty-four.

_xxxx_

The Kaijou locker room was noisy, the boys praising both Shinohara and Matsumoto for their work in the second quarter. Takeuchi never expected the two to hold their own that well, and once more he was amazed by just how much 'Kise' believed in his teammates.

"Now, let's down to business." Kuroko said. "Nakamura-san, what have you noticed?"

"Well, the shot that he uses frequently, I've noticed that it resembles a fade-away of some sort. When he does this, he jumps high so that whomever blocking the shot won't be able to reach it."

Kuroko then looked to Moriyama, "Got that Moriyama-senpai?"

"Everything."

"Good. You two did extremely well, Matsucchi, Shinocchi!" he perked. He totally ignored the indignant shouts of 'I told you not to call me that!' coming from the two. "But in this half, things are going to be hell. Since we're behind by two baskets, I was thinking we'd use Moriyama-senpai and Kasamatsu-senpai to close the gap with threes. Hayama would more than likely come to mark me but everything will remain as it were in the first quarter. Do we all remember the plan?"

"Hai!"

"LET'S GO KAIJOU!" Kasamatsu cheered.

"YEAH!"

_xxxx_

Up in the audience, Seirin and company were shocked at the play that the two boys brought. All throughout the second quarter, they kept gasping in shock and surprise but they really applauded the two boys for their skills and fighting spirit.

"Man, who would've thought that those two would have done so well?" Aomine said. "Especially number eleven, he's got some serious dribbling skills."

"His name is Matsumoto and honestly, I never knew that they would have played this well." Riko said. "Their stats are high and such but up against Hayama-kun and Akashi-kun, I honestly thought that they wouldn't last."

"That's Tetsucchi for you." Kise smiled. "When I looked at Coach's face, I could see that even he was uneasy with the arrangement."

"Who wouldn't be?" Izuki joined in. "It isn't like Kasamatsu-san or Kuroko was still playing. They were both benched! That was a huge hole left but those two seemed to know how to patch it up."

"That's true. But you can tell there is a level of trust in Kaijou." Hyuuga started. "You can see that they all trust Kuroko's decisions and each other. Knowing that Matsumoto hasn't played in any matches prior to this, and Shinohara only played in one quarter against us, you'd think that the others would be quite skeptical. The way Kaijou moves, seems like a family."

They heard Kise sigh mournfully.

But before anyone could say anything, Kagami spoke up. "Oi, Kise. What's wrong with you?"

Kise looked at him with an expression that confused him. He had on a smile but the look in his eyes were melancholic. "It's just that I was thinking that this switch isn't only a good thing for me and Tetsucchi but for our teams as well. If we hadn't, you guys wouldn't have gotten stronger in the ways that you did…but looking at Kaijou…I realized that I was an asshole. What Tetsucchi has done for the entire club and not just the regulars who play in matches but everyone is astounding. I've come to realize that, if I were still in my body, none of that would have happened. I doubt that those two would have played in this match. Hell, I doubt that we'd have made it this far."

"Oh." Everyone uttered out.

"But still, it's not like you'd go back to your old ways when you switch back. You can always continue where Kuroko left off. And if you need help, well, he's your boyfriend. You can stop by Seirin anytime, he can go by Kaijou anytime, hell we can have joint practices anytime!" Kagami reassured.

"You know, when Kagami said that Kise can pick up where Kuroko left off," Koganei started. "I'm pretty sure that Kise can't analyze and strategize like Kuroko, so how that's going to work out?"

There was silence in their little section. Kise blanched.

"I'm pretty sure that Tetsu-kun can teach Ki-chan!" Momoi perked. "If they can learn how to play like each other, I'm sure they can learn how to think each other as well!"

No one commented. However, Kise silently prayed that that would be possible; after all, the impossible became possible when they switched bodies.

Just then the crowd roused up and they knew that the teams had returned. Rakuzan was the usual air of arrogance, while Kaijou seemed to be hell-bent on winning this match.

The teams then gathered on the court, Moriyama stood before the referee to receive the ball to thrown in. He gave it to Kasamatsu, who then tap passed it to Kuroko who swiftly redirected it to Moriyama. Due to this happening so fast, Moriyama had gotten into shooting form without Mibuchi being able to react fast enough. He made his shot seem effortless and graceful, sparkling as he did so.

When Moriyama made his three, Kuroko looked at Akashi saw that the boy was still composed. He shivered. He knew that he was going to bring it out sooner than later.

When Kaijou were going back to defend, they saw Nebuya retrieve the ball and passed it to Akashi. Wordlessly, the redhead made his way towards their half with everyone else trailing behind him. Hayakawa went up to block him and when Akashi looked at the boy, Kuroko and everyone could see it. He was using his Emperor Eye.

"Stand aside." Akashi said.

"Neverr!" Hayakawa responded.

Without saying anything more, Akashi then went in a speedy dribble, doing the crossovers the moment Hayakawa had shift his centre of gravity. Because of this, it caused the power forward to fall backwards on his butt, Akashi looking down at him.

"No. My orders are absolute." He said calmly as he walked past the boy. He then run up to make a shot, but Kobori jumped for the block. Unfazed, Akashi then passed the ball using the behind the back pass to Mibuchi who had run up. The shooting guard received it and made a layup.

He then turned and walked away as though it was nothing. But then Rakuzan saw both Kaijou running towards them. They quickly went to defend, but they noticed that Kaijou's formation was a little strange. Coming right at them at the front were Hayakawa and Kobori and behind them were 'Kise' and Moriyama. Lastly, behind those two was Kasamatsu.

When Kise saw this, he erupted in smiles.

"What are you smiling for?" Aomine asked.

"Because I finally get to see it in action. Tetsucchi couldn't find a suitable name so he calls it the battle formation."

"Battle? Why?" Momoi asked.

"Because, Kaijou is using the vanguard, middle guard, rearguard kind of thing. Hayakawa-sepai and Kobori-senpai would be the vanguards being that they are capable of going in for shot. Tetsucchi and Moriyama-sepai are the middle guards being that Tetsucchi can redirect the ball anywhere or go for a shot, and Moriyama-senpai could go for his shot if he receives the ball. Senpai is the rearguard because he needs to see what's happening to make the right decisions and such." He chirped. "Tetsucchi told me about it, but this is the first they're using it."

"Wow, Kuroko came up with that?" Kiyoshi said. "That boy is frightening."

"But I can totally imagine Kuroko as the vanguard though." Kagami said, "I mean he's got some serious firepower."

"But he's better at passing. That's why he's in the middle guard. If push comes to shove, he could always move up to the vanguard or coordinate with the rearguard." Izuki said. When he saw the looks he received, he swiftly answered, "I used to play games like that."

They then refocused to see Hayakawa and Kobori dash towards the net, flying past the defenders due to their speed. Kasamatsu then Ignite Pass the ball to Hayakawa while Kuroko had followed after the boy. When Nebuya had come up to block him, he released it behind him and since Kuroko was there, he swiftly sent it rocketing to Kasamatsu who made a three.

Once more, Nebuya retrieved the ball, and did an aerial pass to Akashi. He then made his way towards Kaijou yet again, but this time it was Kasamatsu who had come up to block him. As usual, Akashi was totally unfazed, he sees him as yet another obstacle in his path that he needs to move. Once more, he started his ankle break dribble and the moment Kasamatsu had shift his weight on his pivot leg, he quickly to a step backwards so as to prevent himself from falling.

_Thank you Kuroko. That would have been an embarrassment if I had fallen._

Akashi was well as everyone else was shocked. There hasn't been a single person that can escape from the ankle break dribble and to see Kasamatsu do just that had many people screaming their throats out. Both Akashi and Kasamatsu were at it for a while until Moriyama had come up to try and steal the ball. But with his Emperor Eye, Akashi saw the slightest movement and swiftly avoided the shooting guard.

He then passed it to Mibuchi who had Kuroko blocking him due to Moriyama going to help out Kasamatsu. However, when Mibuchi got into shooting form, remembering what Nakamura told him, he waited a while before he jumped. When Mibuchi saw this, he then jumped but it wasn't high enough, however, it managed to get Kuroko to jump. The moment that happened before Kuroko could change his pace, Mibuchi jumped as well, crashing into Kuroko but still managed to make the shot.

The referee blew his whistle.

"Defense! Foul! Basket counts! Three free shots!"

Kaijou and everyone went into an uproar.

"That fucker!" Aomine shouted. "Didn't referee see that it was all planned?!"

"Shit. And what's worse, it was a three-pointer." Kagami said. "Kuroko is gonna be so pissed."

And pissed he was indeed. Mibuchi then went to take his free shots, none of them missing their target. Kaijou's supporters groaned every time the shots went in the net. Kaijou had only been one three behind ever since the third quarter started but now, they've rocketed to a nine-point gap. Oh yes, Kuroko was pissed. When Rakuzan made their way back to their half, Kuroko looked at Mibuchi with such hatred, it seemed as though he was about to skin him alive.

Hayakawa retrieved the ball and threw it to Kasamatsu. The others had gone on ahead, but as he looked at Kuroko, he had a feeling, no, he _knew_ that the blond wanted him to pass the ball. And so he did. The moment Kuroko got the ball, since he was in front of Mibuchi, the shooting guard blocked his path with a good defense.

"For what you did just now, I'll make you pay." He seethed. Everything after that happened so fast. Kuroko dribbled loudly, the sound reminding them of Kotarou's lightning dribble. As a matter of fact, even though Kuroko was dribbling, he was so aggressive that it seemed as though he was trying to drill a hole into the ground with ball. As Mibuchi kept looking at it, he realized that the ball was fading away from his eyesight and he gasped in shock.

However, it didn't end there. He then continued to dribble in a crossover, prompting Mibuchi to still try and stop him. That proved to be his downfall. When he followed Kuroko, he ended up slipping backwards and dropping on his butt. Kuroko looked down on him and said nothing, but walked leisurely with the ball like he owned the court. He then swiftly passed the ball to Moriyama who made a perfect three.

When Kasamatsu saw this, he could do nothing but chuckle. Kuroko could be real terrible when pissed off, and now it's even worse that he's just ruined a part of the blond's plan, making him and them work extra hard to catch up.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Kagami hooted.

"Way to go Tetsu!" Aomine cheered.

Mibuchi then swiftly made his way up, and dust off his pants. Akashi didn't even look at him, but one thing was for sure, he and Kuroko were going to war.

And so it happened.

Rakuzan was more malicious than before, Akashi storming in Kaijou's half doing two things, either he makes the shot himself, or he does a pass that the defender doesn't expect and make his subjects take the shots.

Nebuya's defense got even stronger under the net, giving Kobori an even harder time than before. None of the shooting guards missed their shots, so Hayakawa didn't any rebounds. Kotarou, ever since he saw what Kuroko did, decided that he should mark the blond. What's even worse, he used all five of his fingers against him. There were many times when Kuroko let him pass so that either Kasamatsu can steal the ball, or they force him to make a shot outside of his comfort zone. This is where Hayakawa comes in, fighting for the rebound and somehow managing to get it over Kobori.

Kasamatsu worked well with Kuroko as usual, he himself went for some shots when Moriyama couldn't. There were many instances where people thought that he would have passed but he made the shot and vice versa. There were also many times when Akashi came to block him and stole the ball from his hands with such swift movements, the he wondered how the redhead was that fast.

Kuroko, as well, got vicious in his offense. It had pissed him off the no end, seeing that Rakuzan would be ahead come the fourth quarter. He wracked his brain constantly, as he had to change his plan for them to catch up and not be behind too much come the fourth quarter. The crowd was once more screaming and hooting, due to Kaijou's strange formations.

At the end of their bout, Rakuzan was on sixty-two while Kaijou was behind by two threes on fifty-six.

The teams returned to their benches, Kaijou was in a sour mood. Not because Kuroko had to change his plans mid-game but because of the foul that wasn't even Kuroko's fault. But nonetheless, the bench players tried to cheer them up but everyone seemed to steer clear of the seething blond, his aura was enough to strangle someone.

"Well, you guys are going good." Takeuchi said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Kasamatsu-senpai," Kuroko started. Surprisingly, his voice was normal.

"You remember what we've practice right?"

"Of course. We're going to show them just what the Light and Shadow of Kaijou can really do." He grinned.

"For the start of the fourth quarter, we have to bring out our ping-pong." He then turned to Moriyama and Nakamura. "During this time, be prepared to make threes. We can't take too long to close that point gap."

"Sure, I'll make as much threes as we need." Nakamura said.

"Everyone else, remember what to do?" he then asked.

"Of course." They chorused.

"We'll be kicking Rakuzan's butt as soon as we close the gap." Moriyama smiled. "And then I can go meet my beloved goddess!"

Everyone laughed at this, glad for that comic relief that calmed down Kuroko. After they had re-hydrated themselves, they then marched back out onto the court, the referee announcing,

"Let the fourth quarter begin!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	44. Kaijou vs. Rakuzan: Fourth Quarter

Chapter 44

...

"Let the fourth quarter begin!"

Hayakawa threw the ball in to Moriyama who then passed it to Kasamatsu. But the moment the point guard received it, he tapped it to Kuroko who was at an angle away from him. Kasamatsu then moved further upwards as the blond had swiftly sent it rocketing in his direction yet again. Kuroko had then moved closer to Nakamura so when Kasamatsu returned the ball, Kuroko sent it in Nakamura's direction, who quickly landed a three.

The players and the audience were stunned.

"What the fuck was that?!" Aomine asked.

"Ping-pong." Kise answered.

"What?"

"It's actually what Tetsucchi came up with for me to better the passes. Izuki-senpai can do it as well."

"Shit. No matter how good Akashi is, there's no way he can stop that. They pass the ball so fucking fast that my eyes hurt."

"And what's even better about it is that you'll never know who's going to receive it next." Momoi added. "Even though the two of them are partners, you can never be too sure that they'll constantly pass to each other through that."

"That's right." Riko smiled.

They then refocused on the match to see Rakuzan heading towards Kaijou's net, Akashi with the ball. He then passed it to Mayuzumi which no one had really seen and the phantom then passed it to Nebuya who was closest to the net. As soon as the thick centre was about to land a dunk, ahand knocked the ball from his hands and sent the ball bouncing.

Kuroko.

Hayakawa was swift enough to catch the ball and then passed it to Kasamatsu who used the cyclone pass to get the ball to Moriyama who was already close to the three point line. Mibuchi chased him but it was too late. Moriyama sunk the ball, earning another three points for Kaijou, making the two teams now tied on sixty-two points.

Kaijou's bench and their supporters cheered on, Kuroko exhaling a breath. Now that they're back on equal terms, they can go along with their original plan. This by no means meant that Kuroko was relieved; instead, he feels just the opposite. He knows that what they just did has enraged Akashi even more, but Kaijou knows that the storm is brewing.

Rakuzan then went on the offense; once more Akashi had the ball. He walked slowly towards Kaijou with the others behind him. Even though the boy looked composed, Kuroko knew that he was far from it. When Akashi reached the top of the circle, he saw that no one marked him. Nakamura was struggling with Nebuya, Hayakawa was free and always near the net, and Kasamatsu was on Mibuchi. Akashi didn't let this faze him; it was then that he realized that 'Ryouta' and Moriyama weren't in the picture.

He looked to the sides and saw the blond at the extreme left and Moriyama in the same position at the right. He wondered what they were up to, but he pressed on anyway. By the time he neared the free-throw circle, he then passed to Mayuzumi (who kept himself well-hidden) who then passed to Nebuya. With a thunderous roar, the bulky teen then slammed the ball into the net.

But the moment Rakuzan made their way into Kaijou's half and began their assault, Kuroko and Moriyama slowly made their way to Rakuzan's half of the court. When Nebuya made the dunk, they then dashed off, Nakamura swiftly passing the ball to Kasamatsu who then sent it flying across the court to Kuroko. Moriyama had reached into position, and so the blond redirected it to him. He landed a flawless three.

The crowd erupted with cheers.

Rakuzan were shocked as well. But then this feeling of surprise turned into annoyance. Unlike other teams that they've ever faced, Kaijou was the craziest and the most unpredictable. There is no set way to stop them due to their ever-changing tactics and such. It irked Rakuzan and Akashi kept wondering just who was the mastermind behind all this.

Rakuzan quickly restarted, and thus the game went into a back and forth run-gun for both teams. Rakuzan's offense was brutal; Akashi's point guard reminded people just why he was the captain of the Generation of Miracles. Nebuya's defense gave Nakamura a hard time, the bulky teen pushing hard against the smaller, often times getting him out of a good position. Mibuchi's shots kept Moriyama in for a loop; Kotarou's dribbling once more proving fatal for Hayakawa. Mayuzumi was left unmarked so the phantom worked hand-in-hand with Akashi to get the ball around.

But Kaijou was a fierce competitor. Kasamatsu's point guarding and ball-handling skills left the crowd amazed right throughout, the way in which he worked with 'Kise' left the audience breathless. The two's teamwork was impeccable, and many people in the audience have started to dub them as the Dynamic Duo of Kaijou.

Even without Kasamatsu, Kuroko went in for some shots as well; slamming the ball through the hoop with Kise's famous one-hand dunk (the former blond in the crowd having nosebleeds watching his beloved) or he makes some normal shots.

Nakamura's defense was not bad, he always seem to return the favour to Nebuya in their half, keep the boy out of reach of any rebounds so that Hayakawa can move freely. Other times, he manages to sink threes as well; after all, he is a shooting guard.

But, for the crowd, this match got their blood pumping and hearts racing. People screamed and cheered and hollered, and even though this match's intensity was nowhere near the semi-finals with Seirin, it was still enough to have people at the edge of their seats.

By the time it was five minutes in, both teams were tied at seventy-six, but one thing was for sure, Kaijou was pressuring Rakuzan. The Blue Elites' formations and tactics constantly had them thinking about what would happen next, and what they usually think isn't what happens.

There was one instance when Kasamatsu was being blocked by Kotarou when it was Kaijou's possession. But in the instance that Kasamatsu made a drive to the net, it seemed as though Kotarou allowed the captain to pass. But the look on Kotarou's face says otherwise. And it didn't just happen to Kotarou, it happened to every one of them.

Akashi didn't realize what it was until Kuroko used it on him. He was blocking Kasamatsu's path, but the moment that he got into shooting form, his eyes caught a flash of gold and in that moment, Kasamatsu had made his three. He realized that 'Ryouta' had used his presence to misdirect his gaze from Kasamatsu.

Another time, he noticed that 'Ryouta' marked Mayuzumi. At first, he thought that it was preposterous, and that 'Ryouta' could never keep his eyes on the phantom. But 'Ryouta' proved Akashi wrong. Every time that he passed to Mayuzumi and the phantom was to pass the ball to someone else, 'Ryouta' swoops in and steals it. The first time it happened he had thought that it was just luck, but then it happened twice after.

Because of 'Ryouta', Mayuzumi was basically shut down. And what's more, he had caught wind of Nakamura and Mayuzumi's conversation when Kaijou was heading back.

"You think that you're better than Kuroko?" the ash-blond had started. "Don't flatter yourself. To us you're nothing but a cheap knock-off that can never beat the original."

And add to that, the other Kaijou players were giving the phantom the stink eye.

Akashi is pissed.

Seeing that Kaijou is being an annoying pest that won't die, Akashi has had the last draw. Plus, his subjects seem to be struggling with their players as well. He will not have any of this.

Mibuchi had the ball in Rakuzan's court as Kaijou had just scored. The four were panting heavily, and were looking on ahead at the monsters that were the Kaijou team.

"Mibuchi, you four stay here." Akashi said to him.

"Hold it Sei-chan. What does that ―" he broke off abruptly when he saw the look in Akashi's eyes.

"Are you questioning me?" He asked in a tone that says 'you better not be'. The moment Mibuchi gave the ball to him, there was a light in the boy's eyes, and everyone knew what that meant.

Zone.

"Shit." Kuroko said.

Up in the crowd, Aomine and Kise were shocked to see it. Kise raked a hand through his hair with a look of dread on his face. Aomine was the same, except he was more shocked than fearful. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw Akashi and started to worry for Kaijou and Kuroko.

Akashi then stormed into Kaijou's half, weaving through their defense as though it were nothing. The first two he slipped past were Nakamura and Moriyama but when Kasamatsu had come up to block him (much to Kuroko's discontent), Akashi smirked. Seeing that the captain had gotten away from his ankle break earlier, he decided to make him subservient.

With a swift dribble, Kasamatsu was on the floor, and Akashi made his way towards their net. Kuroko only stood and watched, he knew that with his level of skills, he was no match for Akashi who was in the zone. He then wracked his brain once more, changing his plan.

A player in the zone cannot be stopped by ordinary players, no matter how good they are. If they were to allow him to score and then try to score with a cyclone pass from either him or Kasamatsu, the four down there would probably stall the shooter until Akashi reaches down there and steal the ball. Kuroko pricked on his nails. The safest thing that they can do is to have a shooter or two down there waiting for the ball. Then, it was as though a light bulb went off in his head. But he held that thought when he saw Akashi returning to defend.

 _Well it seems like that plan would have to stay for the next possession._ He thought. "Everyone," he called out.

The players then looked to the blond and answered with a 'hmm?'.

"Next possession, Moriyama-senpai, Nakamura-san and I would hurry down there before Akashi does. Nakamura-san and I will keep everything away from Moriyama-senpai so that he can shoot freely."

"How? There are four of them down there. How will the two of us keep four players from Moriyama-san?"

"It's simple. Just like how you'd block a shooter, do the same to him. Instead, your back will be turned to Moriyama-senpai." Kuroko then turned to Kasamatsu. "Senpai, the moment the ball drops from the hoop, do the cyclone pass to Moriyama-senpai. We have to get the ball down there before Akashi can reach. I'm not sure if this plan can work though."

"We'll have to make it work." Kasamatsu said. "After all, that brat gave me quite the embarrassing fall."

The others nodded in agreement. They then restarted, Kasamatsu had the ball, as soon as they got into position and Kasamatsu was about to pass the ball, Akashi was already upon the point guard and had knocked the ball from his hands.

Putting into action what Kuroko had just told them, Moriyama and Nakamura remained in Rakuzan's court; Nakamura staying at Moriyama's left, while Kuroko on his right since the shooter was facing in Kasamatsu's direction.

Hayakawa and Kasamatsu were the ones chasing Akashi, but never caught him. He made a shot from the free throw circle, earning Rakuzan two points. The ball only bounced once, and quickly, Kasamatsu grabbed it and spun. He then released it and sent it flying to Moriyama. Nakamura and Kuroko did a good job in guarding Moriyama from the others, and swiftly, he made a three.

The crowd cheered. Once more, Kaijou's tactics proved to one-of-a-kind, as jaws dropped as well.

"That's not a bad idea." Riko said, as she leaned forward. "Instead of going off to block four guys, they block Moriyama-san."

"And this will prevent any defender from blocking the shooter. This way, he's free to shoot as soon as he gets the ball." Hyuuga added. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Back on the court, a sigh of relief escaped Kuroko's lips, seeing that all is not lost. But what made him worry was how long they would be able to keep this up. Akashi would surely see through this, and stop them from getting the ball to Moriyama. Once more, he wracked his brain, thinking up of another solution. However, he was currently drawing blanks. They'd have to keep going like this until that happens.

Moriyama and Nakamura retreated a little further to the centre circle, while the others went back to try and defend.

Rakuzan's possession, and as usual Akashi had the ball. He raced into Kaijou's half and then once more weaved through their defense. Within a blink of an eye, Akashi was at Kaijou's net, but Hayakawa jumped to block him but he simply changed his pace and with a pivot, made his way around the power forward and made the shot.

This plan worked for a couple more times, making Kaijou having a counter to Akashi's ridiculous zone. Seirin and company kept sighing relieves, as every time they saw Akashi score and dominate the court, Kaijou would score a three right after. It helped to ease the heartache somewhat, but then that didn't last.

By this time, Nakamura, Kuroko and Moriyama had already made their way into Rakuzan's half, so when Kasamatsu retrieved the ball and was about the pass it, he saw that Akashi was in their way. He stood at an angle from the centre circle but where he was, it was directly in the pass course.

Quickly, Kasamatsu and the others moved off, seeing that that plan now couldn't be used. Kuroko shook his head in frustration, as the boy had no idea how to get around Akashi. In the Zone, his defense was frightening, almost as close as Murasakibara and in offense, it was the same.

 _He lives up to final boss title indeed._ Kuroko thought. But then he was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the crowd roused up. Akashi had moved off and once more stolen the ball from Kasamatsu. The Kaijou captain was getting pissed at this, but the speed that Akashi has, he couldn't catch him up. He wondered what would have happened to them if they hadn't gone on that training camp with Seirin.

Akashi continued to dominate the match, Kaijou trying hard but to no avail. Akashi in the zone was just too much of a monster. Kuroko constantly thought of ways that could get around his area of defense, but none came to fruition. Kaijou started to lose, and even crowd began groaning aloud at their despair.

But then, Kasamatsu looked at Kuroko. He saw that the blond was a mess; he kept shaking his head as if trying to get rid of certain thoughts. He then stopped chasing Akashi, and headed into his direction. He didn't care what the coach would say to him afterwards, right now, it seemed that Kuroko needed someone to talk to.

He then signalled to Takeuchi for a time-out, and the coach complied albeit hesitantly. When the boys returned to their bench, Kasamatsu addressed Kuroko.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Senpai, no matter how hard I try, I can't think of a solution to this problem." He answered in a low voice. "I can't counter it. I've tried to change the plans so much in my head to make us able to score, but Akashi is just…"

Kasamatsu tuned him out after that. His eyes widened with shock in realization and mentally kicked himself for not noticing sooner. Throughout his time at Kaijou, Kuroko was the one who did most of the work but on court and off it. His job is the hardest of all, seeing that he strategizes for them, and then plays on the court as well. And now that something has gone haywire, it's all him again to try and fix it.

"Sorry," he said.

"Huh?"

"I said sorry." Kasamatsu said this time louder. "I should have realized how much pressure this has got to put on you. I should have realized that sometimes you may want help and as your captain and Senpai, I shouldn't have left this on you."

"Let's do this. Together." Moriyama said. "For once, just go out there and play. Forget about your plans, we'll work that out."

"Leave the thinking to your Senpai. Just know that we'll get the ball to you and clear a path." Nakamura said.

Kuroko was close to tears. _Ryou-chan's tear glands are hard to control._ "Thanks," he said.

"Time out over!" the referee announced.

As they walked onto the court, it seemed that the crowd fell into silence due to their shock, but that was a great opportunity for Kise and the others. Quickly, he rose to his feet and inhaled a breath.

"Oi, Kise what are you doing?!" Kagami asked.

"I'm saving my wife of course." He answered with a million-dollar smile. "You can do it, Tetsucchi! I believe in you!" The others looked at him shock, as he called Kuroko by his name. He looked at them and swiftly said, "I don't give a rat's ass about the switch right now, my baby needs encouragement."

Ignoring the latter part of the sentence, Kagami decided to join in. "You twisted bastard, Kise! What are you doing?! Hurry up and beat Rakuzan already!"

"Oi! Aren't you the ones who beat me?! Where did the frightening blond go?! Come on, wake up!" Aomine added his bit as well.

The others chuckled at this and decided that might as well they joined in.

"Kasamatsu-san! It's time you put that redheaded brat in his place! Show him the strength of a Senpai!" Hyuuga shouted, seeming to be in clutch mode. "Uncrowned Kings?! Captain of the Generation of Miracles?! They should go die! You can do it! Kuroko didn't train you so hard that your arms would fall off for nothing!"

"Nakamura, defense!" Koganei cheered. "Go for it!" Izuki was going to say something, but Hyuuga clasped a hand over his mouth, not letting go.

It was Riko's turn. "Yoshitaka-kun ~" she started in a sing-song voice. She knew that this would empower the shooting guard. "It would be really amazing if you made some threes."

Izuki had finally broken free of Hyuuga's grip so quickly he shouted, "Hayakawa, rebound!"

"Well, just remember to have some fun." Kiyoshi added.

"Ka-i-jo! Ka-i-jo!" the crowd joined in by cheering them on, and the players were awestruck.

After hearing those cheers, the mood in Kaijou seemed to take a drastic turn for the better. Kasamatsu was fired up at Hyuuga's words, and his own drive to teach Akashi manners, Nakamura then vowed to get his defense stronger than ever, Hayakawa got louder about his rebounds, and well, Moriyama had an aura emanating from his body. Hearing Riko call him 'Yoshitaka-kun' in such a voice got him pumped, he swears that he'll make her proud. As for Kuroko, he was the calmest of them all. While he didn't say anything, his hair hid his face and followed behind them to the court. They all knew that something was up with the blond, but they thought that he was just focusing and hiding a blush.

 _As an ace, it's my duty to lead the time to victory. I won't waver. I won't give up. If it were Ryou-chan here he'd dismantle this court. Thanks everyone, I promise I won't let you down. We're going to win together._ He focused his mind, tuning out the noise of the audience, and such. When he raised his head, they saw that his face was full of determination, unyielding.

They were back on the court, the players getting into position. It was Kaijou's throw in; Moriyama gave the ball to Kasamatsu. The captain then passed to Hayakawa but in a flash, Akashi stole the ball and dashed into Kaijou's half. Kuroko looked on with horror and tried to catch the speeding boy. Sadly, his speed and Zone-enhanced speed are no match.

 _No, I can't let Kaijou lose. I promised that I'd save Senpai, I promised that I'll save the miracles…_ He then heard the cheering of the crowd and his bench members. _I can't let them down. Everyone's cheering…_ He then remembered the times he's spent with Kaijou…the time he's spent with Seirin even though it's not much. _There's no way I can let that all go down the drain._

When Akashi was about to make the shot, as soon as the ball left his fingers, he saw a hand knock the ball from the net. The ball bounced until hit reached it outside, none of the players even bothering to move due to them being in shock.

Jumping down from the net was both Akashi and Kuroko, the latter's eyes were hidden by his golden bangs. For a while there was silence, as something spectacular had just happened. But as soon as Kuroko had raised his head, in the crowd, Kise let out an ear-shattering scream of delight, Aomine's eyes widened and his jaws hung.

"Shut up Kise!" Kagami roared.

"My baby's in the zone!" he shouted. "How can I shut up after seeing that!?"

"What? How's that possible?" Riko asked in shock. "That's why he was able to block him. But how?"

"Because Tetsu has a strong mental fortitude, add to that he's in Kise's monstrous body. Combine those two and then, Zone is possible." Aomine answered.

"And then again, I'm cheering for him. They say love is the strongest power-up!" Kise chirped. Kagami jabbed the boy in his side causing him to double over in agony.

"But what's his trigger, I can't tell you. It could be as Kise says, but…" Aomine trailed off. He then mumbled, "I doubt Tetsu would have such a lame trigger anyway."

Everything stopped after that; they refocused to the court to see Kasamatsu with the ball, who then chest passed to Kuroko. Without even a hitch, he redirected the ball to Moriyama, who upon getting it was shocked. Looking at where Kuroko is and where he's positioned, that was an extremely difficult pass. Both Kotarou and Mibuchi were in the pass course, and Kuroko still managed to get it to his shooting guard by bouncing it off the floor.

But even so, it arrived in Moriyama's hand with such precision that it's frightening.

Getting out of his stupor quickly, he made the shot. Everyone on Kaijou was left in awe, but thanks to the blond, the end may swing in their favour.

Akashi had the ball, and once more made his way to Kaijou's court. However, by the time he reached the top of the circle, there Kuroko was, looking like a beast who's about to rip apart anything that enters his territory.

Akashi proceeded with caution, but the moment he stopped at the top of the circle, Kasamatsu came to block him. Brushing him off as hardly a threat, Akashi dribbled around the captain, but the moment he'd done so, Kuroko had come up to him, his hand reaching for the ball. Akashi drew back quickly, if he was a second too late on his reaction, Kuroko would have knocked it away.

But then, Moriyama knocked the ball from his hands the instant he had switched, Kasamatsu snatching it and passing it to Nakamura. The shooting guard quickly got into shooting position, but Akashi had already come up on him for the block.

"Nakamura!" Kasamatsu shouted, prompting the boy to pass to him. He did, and swiftly, the point guard then dribbled towards the net. Then his eyes caught a flash of gold and he couldn't help but smirk. With a loud bounce, Kasamatsu rocketed the ball up to the net and into Kuroko's waiting hands.

But Akashi was there as well, and when they saw this, Moriyama let out a horrified gasp. But, no matter how high Akashi had jumped, Kuroko was determined. And a determined Kuroko in the zone was not to be trifled with. He slammed the ball into net with such force that it blew away the redhead, leaving everyone stunned. Even Akashi himself looked up at 'Ryouta' with disbelief.

Kasamatsu had come and ruffled his hair; Moriyama gave him a pat on the back. Nakamura and Hayakawa raised their hands for high-fives which he gladly gave them.

"That's what I'm talking about you little bastard!" Kagami cheered.

"You should have ripped the hoop from the backboard!" Aomine hooted.

The match progressed, but even after Akashi had gotten up off the floor, the look on his face could tell everyone that he was far from alright. He didn't even retrieve the ball like he'd used to before, and the Rakuzan players were all beginning to question the action of the redhead.

But as the match went on, Akashi's play become sloppy and predictable. And of course, Kaijou made use of this. Akashi's passes to his subjects were god awful, and this gave Kuroko ample chances to steal the ball.

On one instance, Akashi had made a pass to Nebuya but it had never reached. Kuroko swooped in from god knows where and quickly redirected the ball to Hayakawa who then passed it to Kasamatsu. The captain then sent it rocketing to Nakamura who was by the three-point line.

Another time, he made a bad pass to Mibuchi, luckily, the shooting guard caught it. However, as he shot it, it rebounded off the rim of the net, and doing what he does best, Hayakawa got the rebound. The ball was then passed to Kuroko who used the cyclone pass to get the ball to Moriyama, who was greatly empowered by Riko earlier on, made his three graciously.

Rakuzan fell apart.

People in the crowd couldn't believe this was the great 'Emperor of Creation'; more so, the former captain of the generation of Miracles was making some _shitty_ plays that were just unbelievable. A moment a go, he was dominating the court, but now, it seems that he's spent all his energy. He was the last to get back on defense, and the last to attack on offense. The Rakuzan players were also quite fed up with this, but they didn't say anything to the redhead.

Kaijou on the other hand got the crowd screaming. 'Kise' seemed to be on a stealing and passing spree. He was a golden blur on the court, always on the prowl for the ball. He dashed here and there, timing it just right, the moment Rakuzan passed the ball to their teammate, he pops up and redirects it.

Many people in the crowd had their jaws hung. 'Kise' was a beast on court. He didn't ease up one bit, and the rest of the Kaijou worked the blond quite well. Kasamatsu assisted in getting the ball around, Moriyama and Nakamura were always in a position to shoot the ball. Hayakawa lived under Rakuzan's net, rebounds becoming a frequent thing.

Being unable to tolerate this slaughter, Shirogane called for a time-out.

 _Unbelievable. Akashi is this brittle a player?_ Shirogane thought. _Because the Kaijou managed to defeat his trump card, he's wavering this much. That immense mental damage creates a discord within the team…At this rate…_

"It's time for a substitution. Aka ―" Shirogane broke off as Mayuzumi stood up.

"Please hold on a minute." He said. He then turned to Akashi. "What a disgrace. Did you think we'll comfort you or cheer you up? We'd never do something like that. You've made all those pompous statements and this is all you've got? I can't believe that. You're nothing like the guy I met on the school roof. More like…who the hell are you?"

That last statement seemed to trigger something within Akashi. In the recess of his mind he was having an internal argument with his own self, trying to reclaim who he was. After what seemed like minutes in his world, Akashi regained his senses.

He rose up off the bench. "Who you ask? That's outrageous. I'm Akashi Seijuurou of course."

The heterochromatic eye had disappeared, now leaving redhead with both eyes red. All of Rakuzan was left stunned, but one thing seemed for sure, Akashi seemed to be back to normal.

Up in the crowd, Kise leaned back with a smug look on his face. As a matter of fact, all of Seirin did.

"Serves him right," Hyuuga huffed. "I still haven't forgotten. Waltz in our practice like he owns the place and demanded Kise."

"But to think, just because Kuroko dunked against him he's all shaken up?" Kagami started. "And this is the guy who led you all? Honestly, I think Midorima would be best to suit that role. Even when I stopped his shots he didn't roll over and die."

"As a matter of fact, the guy admitted that Kagami was strong." Koganei said. "But Akashi…"

"The thing is Akashi has never tasted defeat in his life. Add to that, he tried to score against his opponent and couldn't, tried to stop his opponent twice and couldn't'…" Momoi started. "I guess the shock has left him catatonic."

"Well, if this continues, Rakuzan is in for a nasty defeat." Aomine said. "When I look at Tetsu's eyes, I can tell that he's going deeper into the zone. His performance is proof of it. The passes that the Kaijou guys receive are so fucking precise, if Kaijou could've gone into zone because of it, then it would be possible. While on the other hand, Akashi's heart is in disarray. A disturbance will lead to idle thoughts, and with idle thoughts, you'll fall out of the zone."

"I see." Izuki said. "But you said 'deeper in the zone'. What does that mean?"

"This is based on my mental image. When I enter the zone, it seems as though I'm sinking deeper into water. And I reach the bottom, that's when I've done everything I can, performance wise. But there's another door there, with someone standing there like a gatekeeper. I can't see his face, and at least, I can't get the door to even budge." Aomine said, but then he continued, "I'm just wondering if Tetsu can open it.

"Of course he can," Kise said. "Who knows, maybe his zone doesn't have a gatekeeper."

"Haah?" Aomine drawled. "Then why does mine? It's there, I'm telling you. And the worst thing is, I don't know what he wants from me."

Just then, crowd roused up once more, prompting them to look at the court. The time-out was over and the two teams had returned to the court.

It was Rakuzan's possession, Akashi had the ball. Kasamatsu was the one who marked him and the captain realized that there was something different about the redhead. As the two captains came up to each other, Akashi quickly did a crossover to get around Kasamatsu, but Hayakawa came up to block him. Swiftly, he passed the ball to Mibuchi who was shocked at the pass. It landed firmly in his hands and he made the shot.

"A beautiful shot. Good job Mibuchi." Akashi praised as he made his way to defend.

 _No way, Sei-chan cheering for me…_ He thought with shock. _And that pass just now, the timing, the location. Even the angle of the ball seems as though I caught it perfectly._

However, he was taken out of his thoughts when he saw the ball crash into their net. Everyone froze up, but then they turned around to see Kaijou, the same position that they'd just left them, but 'Kise' was in a strange form. Both his hands were above his head, his right hand stretched upwards with his palm facing the ceiling, his left hand slightly bent, the palm as well facing the ceiling.

"He can pull off a Midorima as well?" Kotarou asked in shock. "Shit."

"No, that's not quite like him. Midorima shoots with his left hand and that posture that Kise uses, is quite abnormal." Akashi replied.

Rakuzan quickly restarted, but the moment that Akashi received the ball, the players all saw that he was in the zone once again. Almost instinctively, they looked to Kuroko who was still in his zone. He was the closest to net, and even though Rakuzan was passing around the ball, he didn't move an inch. Well, Kaijou didn't mind so much, they knew that Kuroko knew what he was doing.

Akashi had then passed the ball to Kotarou in such a way that it had them stunned. The narrow spacing which was there, it was almost impossible to have gotten that pass through. Kasamatsu involuntarily chuckled to himself; it seemed to him that this match would come down to the showdown between the two playmakers.

Kotarou then stormed towards Kuroko with his lightning dribble, hoping to get around him due to him receiving such a good pass. But as soon as the boy made a crossover, the weight of the ball left his hands and Kuroko was seen dashing down the court. Rakuzan quickly went into chase, Akashi catching up to the blond. But, being a passing specialist, Kuroko knew what to do.

Kuroko bounced the ball to the left and then swiftly catching it back, and flung it to the right where Kasamatsu had run pass. The captain then tapped it to Nakamura who then chest passed to Moriyama. Once more, the shooter sunk the ball with his irregular form.

Kaijou then retreated to their half, Mibuchi giving the ball to their point guard. Kotarou was seething, as he had gotten such a good pass but Kuroko still managed to steal it from him.

"Don't mind, Hayama." Akashi said. "He's in the zone. There's nothing you could have done."

Kotarou was at a loss for words. The Akashi he knew would have said some harsh words to him but now, he's reassuring him. He wondered what happened, but he didn't mind the change. _It seems that Akashi needs to lose more often; it brings out his nice side._ He chuckled.

Akashi then headed down the court, reaching at the three-point line. Kuroko was the only one in that area, but as soon as Akashi crossed the line, he felt a suffocating pressure.

 _We're both in the zone so why does he feel threatening to me?_ Akashi thought with shock. But, not leaving anything to chance, he took a step back and swiftly passed to Mibuchi.

Up in the crowd, Aomine, Kagami and Kise seemed to have lost their minds with excitement.

"Oh yeah! Bastard better back the fuck up!" Kagami howled. "Show him who's boss!"

"Damn right!" Aomine agreed. Kise and the freshmen trio were like cheerleaders, cheering on Kuroko mostly and the others.

As the match progressed, both teams seemed to have gone into a battle of passing. Akashi's passes to his teammates were nothing short of amazing, but Kuroko's were otherworldly. For both teams, there seemed to have been some sorts of rhythm being created, it was even evident to the audience. Akashi's passes could go through even the tightest of spaces; Kuroko's landed firmly in the hands of his target that even the players who received it were always left in a state of shock.

It was then that Seirin and the others looked at Kuroko with newfound admiration. They knew that the former phantom was an excellent passer but this was something else. The zone brought out his highest skills, which in their eyes, made him seem like a demon. Kagami's mouth hung, Aomine's eyes widened, so too were the rest o f the people.

It was even worst for Aomine, as in Teikou, he's never received _those_ types of passes before. He felt somewhat jealous, as Kaijou were the ones enjoying the passes currently. He watched how as they played, there were grins on their faces as soon as they had gotten accustomed to the passes. He missed those days, and it was now, he's realizing just how much of an asshole he'd been.

"Holy shit!" he was taken out of his thoughts by Kise's outburst. "All five of them are in the zone!"

"All five of who?!" he asked.

"Rakuzan! Akashicchi's rhythm plays brought them there!" he covered his mouth with horror. "How will Kaijou beat that?!"

"It's not a perfect version of the zone. Their powers are all being drawn out indefinitely by Akashi-kun." Riko joined in. "And because they are the Uncrowned Kings, they have the talent to make it possible."

"Damn, just when there was a light at the end of the tunnel." Hyuuga said. "And what's worst, it's two minutes left."

"And look at Kuroko, he looks exhausted but he's still in the zone. If he should fall out now, Kaijou is doomed." Izuki said.

"The only way they can beat them is if Tetsu opens the second door. But that damned gatekeeper…" Aomine said.

They then refocused on the match to see Moriyama with the ball and was about to shoot when Mibuchi came up to with such a speed that the shooting guard stumbled backwards. But luck was on their side. Kuroko quickly came in and stole the ball from Moriyama and redirected it to Kasamatsu who shot the ball. It landed on the rim of the net and spun around before going in.

"Guys, just do what you have to. I'll probably steal the ball if someone comes to block." Kuroko as they made their way to defend.

And so the match became vicious.

With all five of Rakuzan's players in a pseudo-zone, the other four Kaijou players had a hard time dealing with them. Moriyama and Nakamura found it difficult to get shots in, Hayakawa was losing rebounds to Nebuya; Kasamatsu didn't really do much, he was mostly coordinating with Kuroko. Things were looking bleak once again, as Kuroko was the only one in the zone, but it was clear that even he was becoming tired.

But even so, Kaijou managed to get some shots in, thanks to Kuroko at least. With his high speed passing and such, the players were able to make layups and others.

Once more, it was Kaijou's possession and Kuroko was storming down the court with the ball. Kasamatsu had just passed to him, and told him to slam it in the net. The other players cheered as well, giving him some sort of push. He weaved through the defense just like how taught him to, but due to the sweat on the court by the time he reached into the paint area, he slipped. Kuroko flung the ball upwards, knowing that he wouldn't have been able to jump.

It landed on the top of the backboard, but the gods decided to smile upon Kaijou, so the ball then tilted to the left, falling into the basket, leaving the audience scrambling to find words to cheer. Kuroko exhaled a breath, and motioned to get up. Reaching on his hands, they started quivering, his legs feeling heavy. When Kaijou saw the blond frantically trying to get up, panic rose. Dashing towards the net, they fretted for the worst.

Akashi was the closest, so he quickly assisted the blond. "Are you tired, Kise?" he asked.

Kuroko's widened. "Akashi-kun? Is that really you Akashi-kun?"

"Yes."

"What happened?" Kasamatsu asked when he reached the boys. He had thanked Akashi with a nod.

"I slipped on sweat. My speed added to it as well." He replied.

"Do you want to be subbed off?" Moriyama asked. "You look like you're about to collapse!"

"But ―"

"Right now, I don't care if we win or not. We can't have you dying on us." Nakamura said. "Remember we're a team. You've brought us to the finals, that's one hell of an accomplishment. Sure we want to win but, you're more important than a trophy."

Kuroko felt it. Nakamura's words and seeing the look on their faces made him want them to win even more. Bur then, he looked at the clock. It was a minute remaining and they were behind by one basket. He could manage.

"I can last till the end. But you guys are the ones who'll do the work." Kuroko smiled.

"Huh?"

"Just trust me."

"Idiot. That's what we've been doing ever since." Kasamatsu said.

Rakuzan's possession and Akashi was at the top of the circle and faced off with Kasamatsu. He noticed that there was something strange about Kaijou…they were in an all court man-to-man, but something seemed off. 'Kise' had reverted back to normal, but even so, the redheaded captain sensed the danger. He then quickly passed to Mayuzumi who then passed to Kotarou who had Hayakawa. Not being able to do anything, he then passed to Mibuchi who had Moriyama.

Mibuchi then chest passed the ball to Akashi who still had Kasamatsu to face off with. Mibuchi then run up to Akashi and called out to him. But instead, he passed to Kotarou who quickly weaved around Hayakawa. He was about to make a layup when Kuroko jumped for the block. However, he quickly went into the double clutch form but then, Nakamura saw it coming and jumped to block him. Nakamura knocked the ball away from his hands.

Akashi was left dumbfounded at this. Their actions to him seem like they were all instinct, but still, it seemed that they were matching 'Kise's' movements.

Hayakawa quickly retrieved the ball and passed it to Kuroko. He and Kasamatsu then went into a series of fast passes; Rakuzan had a hard time keeping up with the ball. The two looked like blurs on the court, their synchronization was flawless. The other members fell into place as though this was planned, and as soon as they neared Akashi, Kuroko sent the ball past the redhead, and into Nakamura's hand who was running towards the net.

He didn't shoot however, he released the ball behind him and Kasamatsu had come up and sent it rocketing to Moriyama who made a perfect three. And throughout all this, they held eye-contact with each other. But for Kuroko who had re-entered the zone, the second door had swung wide open.

Aomine noticed this, and laughed out loud. "I can't believe this." He said.

"Dai-chan?" Momoi asked. She wondered if he was getting mad.

"It was you all along. It was you Tetsu." Tears started to stream down his cheeks relentlessly, and everyone there wondered what he was going on about. Kise looked at the ace with realization and then started to chuckle as well.

"No wonder the door wouldn't open for you. You pushed him away; you pushed everyone away, right?"

"Yeah," he managed to utter out.

The crowd cheered once again, and when they looked at scoreboard, they saw that Rakuzan was on eighty-six while Kaijou was on eighty-five with ten seconds left on the clock. Kise covered his face with both his hands but left an opening in between his index and middle fingers so that he could see.

"What's wrong with you?" Kagami asked.

"I can't watch." He said.

Izuki turned around and saw that he was looking through the space. "But you can peek?" Hyuuga jabbed him in his side at this statement, the point guard landed limply onto Kiyoshi's shoulder.

Hayakawa had the ball and then he passed to Kuroko. Akashi shouted to get them into place, as they needed to stop this shot to secure their win. Kuroko then looked across to Nakamura and Kasamatsu, and due to the zone, they were able to understand each other.

Nakamura then dashed towards Kuroko and the blond left the ball there so that he could quickly catch it. Kuroko then headed to edge of the court and that's when Nakamura passed the ball back to the blond, who continued down court.

Knowing just how dangerous he is, Nebuya, Mibuchi and Akashi decided to block his path. Kuroko then stopped and went into shooting form prompting them to jump. However, he didn't shoot. Instead, he dashed around them and passed the ball to Kasamatsu who then sent it rocketing back to him. Kuroko had made it to the net, and then the crowd saw the unthinkable happen.

Kotarou had jumped to block Kuroko but the blond swiftly changed his pace and bent down low to the floor. But he threw up the ball into the air which landed firmly into Kasamatsu's hands. The captain slammed it into the net, seeming as though he wanted to tear off the hoop.

The buzzer sounded. The referee blew his whistle.

The match was over.

Kaijou was victorious.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, screaming and hooting and just noisy. The match officials had to look at the crowd as the noise was enough to make anyone go deaf. Kaijou's bench players dashed onto the court, jumping and cheering as they were now Inter-High champions. Kuroko had collapsed onto his butt, unable to move due to lactic acid build-up. Kasamatsu and Moriyama walked over to the blond and helped him up, but soon everyone reached where he was. Kobori then gestured to Kasamatsu and Moriyama and with a laugh, they then hoisted the quivering blond onto the centre's shoulders.

Laughter ran out at this, no one paying attention to the sulking Rakuzan team. For the first time since high-school they've been defeated, by the hands of a team that doesn't seem to know the word logic. Akashi stood and watched them cheer, the pain in his chest unbearable.

 _So this is defeat. What a horrible feeling._ He thought as the tears escaped his eyes. He then went over to them and shook hands with Kasamatsu.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. But you guys were formidable. We had to wring out everything our bodies could, if it weren't for that blond, I don't think we would have won."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. We'll win next time." He smiled.

"Sure, let's play again."

As Akashi was about to talk to Kuroko, a rumbling could be heard coming from the tunnel. Security guards were seen running from it in a state of shock. What ― _who_ ― emerged made Kaijou laugh. It was the entire Seirin team, in their long pants and jackets but they had on the Kaijou shirts underneath. Kise was the only one in both shirt and jacket and they made their way to the group of Blue.

And that's when the noise got even louder. Aomine and Momoi were present as well, Kagami trying to ruffle Kuroko's hair but he was on top of Kobori's shoulder so he couldn't reach. Hyuuga was with Kasamatsu and Moriyama, Izuki as well. Kiyoshi exchanged words with Nakamura and so on. But, then, Riko seemed to have forgotten that having the two teams in close proximity equals craziness. The regulars were all to one side, leaving the rest of Kaijou who don't know about the switch.

"You know what this means for Winter." Kagami had said to Kasamatsu. "We want our Kuroko back. I don't want to confess when the time will be freezing."

"Hoh? Kuroko is currently in Kise's body and if he were to switch back, we'd storm your school until you give him up."

"Ehh?" Izuki said. "There's no way we'd do that."

"Why don't we settle this with basketball. The first team to score will get to keep Kuroko for the Winter whether or not he's in his body." Kiyoshi suggested. There was silence.

"All right! Let's do this! Get the ball!" Hyuuga shouted.

"Ano," Kuroko said. "Is it okay if I play like this?" He was _still_ atop Kobori's shoulders. This sparked an idea in Seirin. Within seconds, the players were on top of each other's shoulders, Kaijou following suit as well. Kagami, Kiyoshi, Tsuchida, had Kise, Hyuuga, Izuki on their shoulders, Furihata was the only one on the floor should the ball drop; while Kobori, Nakamura, Hayakawa, had Kuroko, Moriyama, and Kasamatsu with Matsumoto on the ground.

"Charge!" Hyuuga screamed. The towers of boys headed into Kaijou's half with Kasamatsu screaming at them to get into place. When the referee saw this, he gave up as he knew that these two teams were crazy.

"Defense!" Kasamatsu barked as he gripped on into Hayakawa's hair.

"Nakamura-san, slam into Kiyoshi-senpai. That should throw them off balance. Matsumoto-san quickly snatch the ball and give it to Senpai." Kuroko instructed.

The boys nodded. And so they began, the Hyuuga-Kiyoshi pair had the ball. No dribbling happened as that would be impossible to do in their situation. But as soon as they made it into Kaijou's half, the Nakamura-Moriyama duo had run up and really crashed into them, sending the ball bouncing. Matsumoto was faster than Furihata so he managed to get it, and dashed down the court with everyone else following.

"Defense!" Hyuuga screamed. The tower of boys then assembled in front of the net, looking like a huge wall in front of Matsumoto.

"Matsumoto-san!" Kuroko called out. He then passed the ball to the blond, but the Kagami-Kise pair went up to block him from shooting. However, he had on a smirk. Holding the ball to his chest, Kise knew what the boy was planning to do.

"Kagamicchi, quick! Make them lose balance!"

Kagami charged towards Kobori, but he was just a second too late. Kuroko shot the ball, using the phantom shot, it went in smoothly. The Kaijou team cheered but Furihata quickly grabbed the ball to restart. But as he done so…

" _Could the Kaijou and Seirin teams stop what they are doing so that Rakuzan and Kaijou can line up?"_ The announcer said.

"Shit! We never lined-up?" Nakamura said. Quickly, after much shuffling, Seirin retreated off the court, and Kaijou went to the centre. Rakuzan came back onto the court a look of bewilderment on their faces.

As for the crowd, they never stopped laughing, as the antics of the two were beyond hilarious. The officials sighed a relief and were actually glad that the next major basketball tournament was in Winter, they'd get a break from these two teams.

"Eighty-seven to eighty-six, Kaijou!"

"Thank you very much!"

_xxxx_

The celebration began, Kaijou receiving their medals and trophies. The boys tore up, especially Kasamatsu, seeing that they got what they had been denied last year. Every member had received both a medal and a trophy, Takeuchi getting the biggest trophy of them all. Photographers were taking pictures, and when Kuroko's eyes landed on Seirin who were in between Rakuzan and Onita, he moved off. This caused everyone to wonder what the blond was doing but by the time he reached Seirin, he took off his medal (and Kise's as well) and put it around Kise's neck.

"Tetsucchi, what ―"

"If you hadn't trained me, I wouldn't have been able to play like I did. You helped Kaijou to win as well."

Unable to control himself, he flung himself at Kuroko and enveloped him in the tightest hug his current body could muster. The blond returned it, and seeing what was happening, the rest of Kaijou felt the same way. The boys had to thank Riko for that training camp, they also had to thank the members were training with them and sharing information. The regulars made their way down there as well, and followed Kuroko's example.

Photographers and media houses trained their cameras on the two teams, everyone breaking out into emotional tears. And it seemed to be contagious. Rakuzan and Onita were starting to tear up as well, the crowd feeling it too.

And as if that wasn't enough, Kaijou then dragged Seirin with them back to the front, and once more they took pictures with each other. Seirin wore their Kaijou shirts underneath their jackets still, Kise had given Riko his, while he stayed in his oversized shirt.

Many pictures were taken, Takeuchi sighed but he realized that there was nothing he could do. Kise was the ringleader, and well…anything that boy does was never normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	45. Post Game Shrine Visit

Chapter 45

...

Afterwards, both teams made their way to the parking lot, away from the clutches of journalists and photographers. The only one they talked to was Reiko, being that she's the only one that they were familiar with and well, she's Kise's sister. Even if they hadn't wanted to talk to her, he would have dragged them along with him. When their interview was over, they had all sighed a relief. While she was bubbly and such, the interview seemed more like an interrogation, milking out every bit of information possible.

They had decided not to wait on Takeuchi; he was busy talking with Shirogane since they were old friends. Not knowing how long that would have lasted, they decided to leave.

Right now, they were heading to a nearby restaurant, Kise and Kagami's stomach growls were loud enough to wake the dead. They had reached a general consensus that they need to eat before heading home, but Kise and Kuroko groaned at this, as both their teams were broke. Which means, they had to put the most money so that everyone could eat.

"So the next tournament is in Winter, huh." Hyuuga started. "Practice is going to be even more brutal than before."

"Definitely." Koganei joined in. "And what's worse, we won't even have Kuroko."

That statement made everyone pause. They then turned around to look at the boys who were at the back of the group. But because of their sulking, they hadn't realized that they were being stared at; that is, until the bumped into Moriyama and Izuki.

"Why are we stopping?" Kuroko asked.

"What if they never switch back?" Izuki asked, looking at Kiyoshi. "We'll be stuck with Kise, right?"

"But that's not a bad thing." Kiyoshi said. "He's an awesome player."

"And Kuroko's an excellent strategist." Kasamatsu joined. D

"I wouldn't mind if he stayed in Kise's body until the Winter Cup is over and we're victorious." Nakamura said. "We'd be Inter-High and Winter Cup champions. We'd be the team that goes down in history."

"Don't be so greedy!" Kagami shouted. "I don't want to confess in Winter! Give Kuroko back to us!"

"He'd have to transfer." Kobori said. "And there's no way Coach is going to let that happen. Or us."

"But Kuroko belongs to us! We want him back!"

And this sparked a heated argument as to which school Kuroko and Kise belongs to and who should keep them and the works.

"At ease men!" Riko shouted to quell the boys. "The fairest way to settle this is by a basketball match, and neither Kise nor Kuroko will be participating."

"That's fair enough." Tsuchida said.

"Alright, if Seirin wins we get to keep _both_ Kise and Kuroko." Kagami said, brimming with confidence.

"But if you lose, we'll get them both." Moriyama grinned. The rest of the Kaijou players grinned as well, since, for their semi-final match, Kuroko had left no-stone unturned so they know all that there is to about Seirin.

"But what I want to know is how did you two switch in the first place?" she asked while looking at the boys. Kuroko shrugged his shoulders, and Kise just shook his head.

"When did it happen?" Kasamatsu asked.

"It was a Saturday." Kuroko answered. "Everything was normal on Friday, but I woke up in Ryou-kun's body on Saturday."

All eyes then turned to look at Kise. Since nothing out of the ordinary happened to Kuroko then that only leaves Kise. He seemed to be in deep thought so no one disturbed him.

"Oh!" they heard him say. "I think I know what caused us to switch."

"What?!" everyone shouted.

"What happened?" Kagami asked.

"I had a photoshoot. When I had left and was heading home, I had run into a group of fangirls. They seemed to be crazy so I ran from them. I didn't know where I was going but somehow I ended up at a shrine."

"Don't tell me…" Moriyama said in horror. He had an idea as to where this was going. "You wished that you were Kuroko didn't you?!"

"Not exactly!" he defended. By now, Seirin looked as though they would have murdered the blue-haired boy. "I just wished that I could have been as invisible as Tetsucchi! It's not like I said I wanted to _be_ him _._ "

"Well, the gods seemed to have misinterpreted that." Izuki said.

"But because of him and them, we've lost _our_ strategist to another team!" Hyuuga shouted.

"Well, I'm glad for it." Nakamura said. "As a matter of fact, everyone in Kaijou is."

"That's supposed to be our trophy!" Kagami shouted. " _We_ were supposed to be number one not number three!"

"Well tough luck." Kasamatsu said. "We're keeping him."

"Kagami-kun, Teppei, Mitobe-kun, Hyuuga-kun," Riko started "Grab Kise-kun and Kuroko-kun and let's go to that shrine!" she then shouted.

"No!" Kaijou shouted as they motioned for the blond and blue haired boys. But because Seirin has more members than Kaijou had present, they managed to barricade the Blue Elites from stopping their Senpai from taking the boys. Kuroko and Kise did nothing in this instance, even if either boy tried to run, he knew that once Seirin becomes determined, they'd definitely catch them. Kise was slung over Kagami's shoulder, while the others carried Kuroko.

Kaijou followed, but they had given up. It wasn't that they didn't want them to switch back; they knew that it must have been uncomfortable and taxing for both boys to behave like each other. But it was the fact that they've spent a longer time with Kuroko and such formed some bond with the boy. It wasn't that they didn't want back Kise, or that they had forgotten about him, it's just that it was only a month that they had shared with Kise. And even so, they had the practice match in the middle of April, before that, he was a conceited brat who didn't really practice with them that much. So, in essence, they only had two weeks with Kise, after he had made his change.

After minutes of running and jogging, running and walking, they had reached a shrine. They didn't hesitate, instead, they went head-on at max speed towards it, and when they reached the top, they left Kise and Kuroko there.

"Are you sure this will work?" Kagami asked.

"Given that it isn't the same shrine that Kise had made the wish at." Koganei said.

"It should. All shrines are connected to the gods right?" Kiyoshi said.

"What are you waiting for you morons!?" Hyuuga roared. "Go on and switch back!"

The boys chuckled at that, and when they looked at their teams, they felt something swell in their chest. They both have made deep bonds with their _current_ teams, and somehow, they wondered what they'll do after. But, turning back around and doing what they were brought here to.

They clasped their hands, and made their wish.

_xxxx_

Kise and Kuroko made their way to Kuroko's house walking hand-in-hand, as Hikaru wanted to talk to 'Kise'. Surprisingly, Kuroko didn't feel scared at all, since well, Hikaru is _his_ father. But they were still in each other's body. After they had made the wish and moved from the shrine, Seirin were a bit upset, while Kaijou rejoiced. However, Kuroko had told them that there's a possibility that come tomorrow, they'd switch back, just like the first time. That deflated the blues but gave Seirin hope.

Soon, they've arrived, and Kise opened the door. The first thing the two noticed was that around the table both Hikaru and Asami were sitting, seeming as though they were waiting for them to come home. Kuroko felt his stomach flip. Somehow, he was getting a feeling of dread.

"Welcome, Ryouta-kun." Hikaru started.

"Thank you for having me." Kuroko answered politely.

"Tetsu-chan, we need to have a moment with Ryouta-kun." Asami said to Kise. He picked up on what she was telling him and so he turned to Kuroko.

"I'll be in my room." Kise made his way upstairs swiftly, not wanting to stay in that atmosphere any longer but somehow, he couldn't shake the bad feeling that he had.

"Have a seat." Asami said. When Kuroko sat down, the aura that oozed from his parents made him start sweat bullets. Kuroko squeezed his knees underneath the table, if he wasn't strong enough, he would have just pissed his pants.

Never before has he ever seen his parents like this. His father seemed as though if he said anything that he'd dislike, he'd skin him right there, while his mother had on a smile, Kuroko could see something dark coming from the woman. Kuroko was scared. Scared of his own parents that he's live with for sixteen years.

"I was told by Tetsuya that the two of you were in a romantic relationship." Hikaru started.

Kuroko swallowed a lump in his throat before answering. "That is correct, Kuroko-san."

"My baby is a delicate flower," Asami started. She leaned forward, placing both her elbows on the table. She then rested her chin on her fingers and smiled at the blond. But this smile, to Kuroko, seemed to be warning him. "And for us to hear that _you_ want to take our Tetsuya, it's a big surprise. Sure, you both were former teammates and are now co-workers but I still haven't forgotten about the Teikou incident. My little darling came home a crying mess, for days he cried for, stayed cooped up in his room and wouldn't eat. This is your last chance. If I so hear even a sniff from my son, I'll kill you."

Kuroko could have sworn that he just pissed himself. His mother was fuck scary, so much that he couldn't even think straight right now.

"That said, do you love Tetsuya?" Hikaru asked.

That seemed to bring him back. So swiftly he replied, "With all my heart, Kuroko-san."

"Exactly when did this love blossom?" Asami asked, her menacing aura was still choking him.

"Since middle school. To be honest, at first when I met him, I didn't think much of him but as time went by and as I got to know him better, to see how awesome he is on the court, well…" Kuroko meant what he said in the latter part of the sentence. He used his experience there, hoping to convey his feeling to his parents.

"I see." Asami said with a nod. But then, both Hikaru and Asami stood up and it was then that they seemed more intimidating and frightening than ever. Kuroko trembled in his seat, beads of sweat rolling down his face and dripping off his chin.

"We will approve of your relationship with our son," Hikaru started.

"But if you dare to hurt our Tetsuya in any way, shape or form…it will not end well for you." Asami said, it seemed more like a hiss to him though.

"I will never, Kuroko-san." Kuroko was surprised that he managed to even open his mouth let along say that sentence.

And then, as if nothing happened, Hikaru sat back down and Asami went to the kitchen, humming a tune that he was all too familiar with. It was her favourite song and the one that they played at their wedding. But Kuroko couldn't register what was going on. His head crashed into the table, his breathing became erratic.

"Ryouta-kun, are you ill?" Hikaru asked.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired that's all." He lied. "Playing against Rakuzan really tired my bones out."

"Oh," he replied. "But I must say, congratulations. Kaijou played pretty well and…strange." He chuckled at that. "The tactics that you used, I've never seen them before. Where does your coach find them from?"

Kuroko was shocked at the sudden change. Less than a minute ago, he seemed like a demon overlord who was about to kill his unfortunate prey, and now, he's back to normal. "Actually, I'm the one who creates Kaijou's strategies. Coach only helps us to get stronger physically and work on our techniques."

"Really!" Hikaru perked up. "Who would have thought? Where do you get those ideas from anyway?"

"I thought them up after I've analyzed the opponents."

"What?" Hikaru seemed to be shocked. "You're the ace of Kaijou aren't you? So not only do you play basketball really well, you have brains too? Let's have a little chat, shall we?"

Kuroko didn't like the sound of that one bit.

But as the minutes passed, both Kuroko and Hikaru were engaged in a conversation, the blond fretting for his life every now and then whenever his father drifted off into some other topic involving 'Tetsuya' and 'their relationship'.

_xxxx_

Kuroko crashed into his bed, and sighed a relief. That nightmare was over. But now that he's thinking about it, he's actually glad that Kise isn't the one in his body. If he were to face _that_ he was sure the former blond would have died from heart failure. Kuroko then turned on his side, so that his back was facing the door. He never knew that his parents could be so frightening.

His phone vibrated beside him and swiftly, he unlocked it and read the message. It was from Ruiko. He groaned aloud, as from the moment he had told Kise's family that he'd be staying with 'Tetsucchi', he never heard the end of it. After the match when he'd check his phone, there were messages piling up from them and strangely, he read them all.

Reiko encouraged him to impress 'Kurokocchi's' parents as 'first impressions are what last'. Ruiko had simply told him to 'Go for it'. Ritsuko (Kise's mother) told him 'to be on his behavior as if he nails this, it'll be a home run'. But nothing could have beaten Kise's father. At first, Kuroko had thought that the man was just simply encouraging him as he wrote 'go for the win' but as he scrolled down further what he saw almost made him faint. Ryouhei had continued saying that 'when this works out, I want to see blond-haired blue-eyed grandchildren soon' with a train of emojis. When he had read that, he wanted to die.

Kuroko didn't ― rather _couldn't_ show those messages to Kise. He'd have a field day. But then he began to compare the two families. One set was crazy and the other was murderous. Kuroko blanched. He was really caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea. He needed his body back _before_ the two meet (especially Hikaru and Ryouhei).

But then, the door opened and closed and by the time he turned around to see who, he felt weight crash into him.

"Ow!"

"Come on, Tetsucchi, that couldn't have hurt." Kise grinned.

"Of course it did, Ryou-kun. Remember your weight."

Kise laughed. He then sat up and his face turned serious. "So how was it? What did your parents say?"

Kuroko shivered. Just remembering the experience gave him chills. "We're clear." He strained to say. Kise took note of this and decided not to let the boy go into details. He knew that Kuroko doesn't speak like that, and prior to the 'talk', he was just fine.

Kise put his hand on his jaw. Come tomorrow, he may be back in his rightful body, living his rightful life but he wondered what's going to happen to their teams. He'd grown so accustomed to Seirin and well, Kuroko has done so much for Kaijou…he'd totally understand if Kuroko didn't want to leave the Blues.

He realized that Kuroko went through hell and back with Kaijou, and looking into things, he wondered if his partnership would be as flawless with Kasamatsu as Kuroko's was. He highly doubts that. Whenever the blond played, Kise noticed that he's so in tune with his teammates that it leaves him breathless.

He sighed. Kuroko knows Kaijou better than he did; he's formed a stronger bond that he had…

"Ryou-kun," Kuroko called. "Why are you spacing out?"

"I was just thinking that you're closer to Kaijou than I was. I mean, you've gotten closer to everyone and I never did, so there's a strong bond there and…"

"That's true." Kuroko chuckled. "I think, if it weren't for the promise I made with Seirin, I may have transferred to Kaijou."

Kise was shocked. If the guys should hear this, no doubt, they would try everything to persuade the boy to transfer. "You're joking, right?"

"No. Have you forgotten about my sense humor?" he replied. "I've spent more time with Kaijou than Seirin. As a matter of fact, I was glad for that training camp. If we didn't have that, it would have made this feeling worse."

"Who would have thought?" Kise smiled. "It would be nice to tease Kagamicchi more, and make puns with Izuki-senpai."

"You made puns?!" Kuroko erupted. "How could you?!"

"I couldn't help it. It was just too funny. Captain's face is priceless!"

"His threats aren't though." He then sighed.

"But, they have the basketball match to play. That will decide both our fates."

"Yeah. I wonder who'll win though." Kise said as he tapped his chin. "Both our teams are monstrous."

Kuroko couldn't help but smirk. "I have a feeling who that'll be."

"Boys! Dinner!" they then heard Asami shout from downstairs. Quickly, the two got up and headed towards the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	46. Do or Die

Chapter 46

...

Kuroko got up and stretched, while he did so, he looked at the clock. It was ten minutes after ten o'clock, and the boy wondered what caused him to get up so late. Quickly, he sprang to his feet and headed into the bathroom and wondered if Kise was still sleeping. _More than likely, he can't do anything while my parents are home._ He thought.

When he had reached into the bathroom, he headed straight into the shower. Since the window was open and the sunlight was pouring in, making the bathroom blinding, Kuroko decided to close it. He reached for the window and noticed something strange. He _couldn't_ reach the window.

"Did I shrink overnight?" he asked himself aloud. And then it hit him as though struck by lightning. He dashed to the mirror and when he saw the reflection, he couldn't help himself.

He shouted in joy.

He was looking at _his_ face. _His_ eyes were blue once more; _his_ hair was the same colour. He pinched himself, hoping that he wasn't dreaming. Thank the Heavens, he _wasn't._ Kuroko didn't know what to do. He wanted to scream and shout, he wanted to climb on top of his roof and tell the whole world that he's back to being Kuroko Tetsuya.

But then, he saw the door bust wide open and a very disheveled Kise stood in the doorway. His face looked worried, and swiftly, he dashed towards the blue-haired boy.

"Are you alright, Tetsucchi? I heard you scream."

"I didn't scream. It wasn't even that loud." Kuroko replied. He stared into Kise's brown eyes and subconsciously he touched his cheek. It was then that Kise's eyes widened with shock.

"We're back! We've got back our bodies!"

"You're a bit late on that, aren't you?"

"I heard you scream Tetsucchi! That's more important."

Kuroko chuckled. But then he realized that he was standing _naked_ right before Kise. With a blush Kuroko quickly reached for a towel and covered himself. It felt a bit strange, of all the times when he was in Kise's body and they took showers and baths together, it didn't seem like a problem but now…

"Hmm? What's this?" Kise purred as he closed the door behind him. "Have you forgotten who was in your body for these past months?"

Kuroko ignited the blond in the left cheek and promptly chased him out. 

...

...

 

The following day, both boys headed out to school, their original school that they hadn't attended in close to three months. Kuroko's feelings were mixed about this, as he wondered if Kise had made any other friends while there or if he did anything differently. 

But as soon as he entered the schoolyard, he realized that there was more noise than usual. Students were chatting and laughing more than usual…or he wondered if it's because he hasn't been to Seirin in such a long time, he wasn't used to their normal.

He quickly made his way up to his classroom where he sat, and he sighed a relief. No one notices like usual and he was glad for that. No more crazy fangirls chasing him, no more people staring at him…yes being back in his own body was bliss.

Just then, the door opened to revealing Kagami, seeming to be muttering something angrily. The class erupted in cheers, Seirin was number three in Inter-High and well, anyone who watched that matched could tell that they were a force not to be taken lightly.

After the cheering died down, Kagami had made his way to his seat. "Yo, who are you?" he asked Kuroko. The blue-haired boy was taken aback by this. "Are you still that bastard Kise or are you Kuroko?"

"Kagami-kun, please don't ask it like that. You gave me quite a scare." He deadpanned.

"Ku-Kuroko!" he shouted with glee and lunged over the desk at the boy.

"Kagami-kun, I can't breathe."

"I don't care! You're back!" while he was still suffocating Kuroko, the door opened to reveal the Seirin team. When they saw Kagami embracing the bue-haired boy, no one needn't to tell them who it was.

"Kuroko!" they all shouted. They dashed in the classroom, pushing both students and desks aside. They (Hyuuga) dragged Kagami from Kuroko and they gave him a bear hug. Due to everyone talking at the same time, Kuroko didn't hear a thing they said.

"It's glad to have you back." Riko said. "Even though we have a basketball match to prepare for." She then sighed.

"You were serious about that?" Kuroko asked.

"Of course! We aren't you up without a fight!" Koganei said. "Plus, we kinda understand if you felt like you'd stay with Kaijou. After all, you've spent three months with them."

"Okay." He responded, he couldn't find anything else to say at this point.

_xxxx_

At Kaijou, Kise was a ball of sunshine. Yesterday had been a blast, he was so happy that he hadn't noticed the huge banner which said 'Well done, Blue Elites'. It hung off the main administration building, so the first thing one should see upon the school should be that. But Kise had other things on his mind.

He made his way to his class merrily, totally ignoring the calls of the fangirls and the other students who were just congratulating him. When he finally sat in his class, even then, he managed to tune out the cheers and everything. He looked slightly giddy, and some were beginning to wonder if the blond was alright.

After couple minutes, the entire school was then called to the auditorium. Kise knew what this meant, and so he slowly made his way there. But before he could reach, he ended up running into his coach who stopped him.

"Come with me," the former basketball player said. Without a word, Kise followed him inside the gym, where upon seeing Kise, the boys immediately erupted with cheers. They hooted, they hollered and surprisingly, screamed as well. After all, it was the blond who led them to victory, it was only sad that it wasn't _this_ blond.

It was then that he felt something in his chest. All this, it wasn't meant for him. Tetsucchi was the one who made everything possible for Kaijou. He was the one who gave them formations, he was the one who made them champions, _not_ him. Kise felt like telling them what had happened, but he knew that they wouldn't believe him.

"Ahem," Takeuchi's voice resounded. Immediately, they were quiet. "Kasamatsu told me something and I agreed with it. Come this Saturday, we'd be having a match with Seirin. This match is life or death."

The boys gasped.

"If we lose, we lose Kise. If we win, we gain Kuroko as well." He smiled at that. "We all know that Winter is coming up, and all those teams are coming back at us with vengeance. We need all the firepower we can get."

"Kise isn't going to play?" Shinohara asked.

"No. Neither will Kuroko. Get ready. Now let's go to the auditorium."

Everyone filed out, Kise was still in a state of shock. He knew that they were talking about that match, he didn't believe that they were actually serious about it. If Seirin lost, Kuroko will really transfer. Somehow, Kise started smiling. He'd see his Tetsucchi every day, he'd play basketball with his Tetsucchi…his mouth started running water. Happiness then oozed out of him, as many scenarios of Kuroko attending Kaijou with him enter his head. He now really wanted Kaijou to win.

...

The rest of the school week ran off quickly, Seirin and Kaijou drilling themselves with training. Kasamatsu and the others who were at the training camp replicated the training, killing off most of the boys there, but improving themselves further. They were not letting Kuroko go. Nope. Never.

Over by Seirin, it was the same thing. Riko drilling her boys so much, but no one complained. If they should win this match, they'd get to keep Kuroko but they'll also gain Kise. That's like gaining all five of the miracles on the team. Yes, they were not going to let this opportunity slip. Nope. Never.

But apart from that rigorous training, Riko had actually planned something for the two boys, and by some stroke of fate, while she, Kiyoshi, Hyuuga and Kagami were out shopping, they had encountered Kasamatsu, Moriyama and Kobori. And it just so happened that they were thinking of doing something for the two boys as well. And thus, the two teams decided to work together to make this a huge success.

However, throughout all this, neither Kise nor Kuroko were present at their training sessions. Yoshino ― their manager had called to inform them that they had shoots to do. There were many requests and due to them going on a month's training camp in June plus Inter-High in the first two weeks of July, they had work piled up. And what's worst, they were asked for specially.

So, the two thought that they'd take that week to get rid of all that work, and surprisingly, none of the coaches minded. They had started on Tuesday, and by the time it was Friday, they still weren't done.

By the time Saturday came around, the two boys had dragged themselves to work, they had gone from nine thirty in the morning, and hadn't left until minutes after two o'clock. Not wanting to feel the wrath of both coaches (they were told that they were having a joint practice at Kaijou before the deciding match), Kuroko and Kise had made Yoshino drop them off at the school.

However, when they opened the gym doors, confetti rained down upon them, and cheers were sung. Both boys looked lost at the sight of the decorations and the huge banner that hovered above the stage. It read 'Thank you' in a beautiful font, the background was a light blue while the edges were lined with golden yellow.

"What's all this?" Kise asked.

"You two both worked your asses off for us and we just wanted to thank you properly." Kasamatsu said.

"I don't know what to say." Kuroko said. "This is all…"

"Yes, for you two." Riko said. To the far left of the gym, the two could see two long tables lined with food, sweets and anything one could think of, the two raised an eyebrow at this. They both wondered where they got money from to buy all _that_ , to do all _this_. Kise then held Kuroko's hand and pulled him towards the table, simply because he wanted to feed him. But he stopped in his tracks.

"Hold it!" Hyuuga shouted. "We'll eat, after the match!"

"Oh right. They were still having that." The blond mumbled.

After some minutes, the court was cleared and the five boys lined-up in front of each other. Kaijou's players were Kasamatsu, Moriyama, Kobori, Hayakawa and Nakamura while Seirin's were Hyuuga, Izuki, Kiyoshi, Kagami and Koganei. Even though they were smiling at each other and such, everyone present could feel the tension coming from the boys. Takeuchi then blew his whistle, Riko threw the ball upwards, Kobori and Kiyoshi facing off for the tip-off.

_xxxx_

"Game over!" Takeuchi shouted. The entire gym was silenced, as not only was the match as breathtaking as before, it was win by a narrow margin. No one could believe what had happened, but still, the score was proof of it.

Kaijou had won.

By a basket.

It wasn't until the realization had struck that the Blues started to cheer, even Takeuchi was left frozen. It was two seconds left, and _everyone_ thought that Seirin was the winner. However, within a split second the ball was flying across the court and landed squarely into Nakamura's palms. Without hitch, he made a shot.

"Damn it!" Kagami shouted. "So close."

Kasamatsu had collapsed onto the ground, his arms feeling like jello. It was then that he began to wonder how the hell did they beat Seirin and they had Kise at the time. The team was full of monsters, vicious and savage they were. But when he looked back the finals with Rakuzan, he began to think that Seirin was stronger than they were. He shook his head to rid the thought.

He then saw a hand stretched out to him. He took it and looked up.

It was Hyuuga.

"Nice play." The shooter commented. "Neither of us should have any complaints now."

"That's true." Kasamatsu said. But then he looked across to Kise and Kuroko. "But how do you think they'd feel?"

Hyuuga shrugged. "Even though it hurts to say this, but I think that some part of Kuroko was glad that you won and some part of Kise was sad that you did. After all, they spent the most times with either of us, so I'm pretty sure that some bond was created."

"You're right about that."

At the sidelines, it was just as Hyuuga had said. The two boys were torn between emotions. They were both happy and said that Kaijou won and Seirin lost, so neither spoke. Kuroko found tears welling up into his eyes and strangely, Kise looked indifferent. Being in each other's bodies for so long, rubbed off.

"Cheer up! We'll still beat you come Winter!" Kagami shouted as he pat Kuroko's head. "There's no way I'm confessing!"

"We'll see about that, Kagamicchi." Kise smirked. The sulking teens slightly livened up a bit, but it was still clear that Seirin was upset. Riko then walked over to the blue-haired boy and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"I'll miss seeing you in Seirin's uniform Kuroko-kun."

"Coach…"

"Yay! Everything's working out!" Kise chirped. "I get to play basketball  _with_ Tetsucchi just like old times!"

"Tsch, lucky bastard." Kagami said. "I didn't even got play with him and  _I'm_ his Light! How unfair this is!?"

"Well ―" Kobori didn't get to finish his sentence, Shinohara's stomach growled so loud that it echoed above the noise. The boy looked highly embarrassed by it, as everyone burst out laughing.

"Well, that seemed to be the cue. Let's eat!" Riko said. "Men, charge!"

With that said, the boys dashed off towards the table, stuffing their faces, losing themselves in conversations that spanned different topics, so were even playing cards. But when all was said done (and eaten), the teams returning home, with a new mission in their minds, Winter Cup. Since summer vacation was next month, they had gotten a scary announcement stating that once more, they'd go on another training camp. Unison groans had echoed, but both coaches knew that they were glad for it, and this time _all_ of Kaijou will be going.

As for Kise and Kuroko, it was the start of a new beginning, they had gotten their bodies back, but Kuroko had to transfer. He was a bit sad that he won't be able to keep his promise made with Seirin, but they reassured him that it couldn't be helped.

But he couldn't help but smile. He'd get to play basketball with them many times as he wanted, whether it is an official match, a practice game or just at a street court. They'd get to play the sport that they love many times over…They were friends after all.

As for Kise, he was just glad that he'd get see his Tetsucchi every day, play basketball with him and many _other_ things. Yes, life was beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	47. Epilogue

* * *

 

Epilogue

* * *

 

After winning the Inter-High, it could be said that everything went back to normal. Even though Kuroko was no longer attending Seirin, he kept in touch with them still.

Summer holiday came around, and well, that meant it was time for yet another training camp this time for the Winter Cup. Seeing how her training had made his six regulars into monstrous beasts, Takeuchi this time, decided to make _all_ his boys attend. Riko didn't mind either, and this time, the camp was a joint effort of the two teams. And by some strange occurrence, the two teams managed to run into Shutoku _again._ Nakatani was particularly happy for this, as watching the video of the semi-final; he knew just how terrible the two teams are.

And so, the three coaches made it their mission to kill off their teams for the Winter Championship. Kaijou and Seirin were now in a league of their own, Shutoku gaping in horror, knowing that they'd have to face Seirin in the matches for the teams to represent Tokyo, and then there's a possibility that they'd face Kaijou in the actual tournament. The boys had shivered at this. They decided to enjoy what little they could from now.

This sort of created a small bond between the three teams, Kagami always hounding Midorima for a one-on-one in which the shooter would deny (if Takao wasn't there). The captains would usually complain to each other about their first years, Kasamatsu only finding fault with Kise, saying that 'the blond can't keep his hands off Kuroko'.

The bond between Seirin and Kaijou strengthened even more, and many times in the camp, whenever they had matches, they would alternate between Kuroko and Kise to play on Seirin's team. In regards to that, the promise Kuroko had made with them, since it couldn't be done officially, they decided that they could always play the Miracles on a street ball court. That's how they decided to fulfill their promise.

As for Kuroko and Kise, well, their relationship blossomed even further, drawing them closer to each other than before. But, they had their quarrels and their fights, which pushed the Kaijou regulars to seek out Seirin for help. But when all was said and done, they had made up particularly fast (within two days), and strangely, it wasn't because Seirin and Kaijou had talked to either of them, it was because the two families almost killed off each other.

The months went by, Halloween came around. Since it was the season, Kuroko and Kise had work. They did a couple of shoots in a series of Halloween costumes, one instance, Kise was dressed as a Devil and Kuroko was an Angel. And since they had chemistry from day one, the Halloween shoot was a gigantic success.

It was then time for the Winter Cup to begin, and all the teams that entered were only thinking of two things: to win the championship and to beat Kaijou. Because of Inter-High, Kaijou had made themselves quite famous, as the team with the most unpredictable style of play. Seirin as well, they were starting to be known as the 'Dark Horse' and some were even calling them 'The Usurpers', thinking that they may take the title.

Since Kise couldn't make strategies like Kuroko, the boys had created a plan to continue fooling the other members and Takeuchi. Whenever they had a match, Kise would ask for the DVD to bring home to analyze, he would then give it to Kuroko and allow the boy to do what he has always done. The next day, it would seem like Kise was the one who still made up all those strategies. However, should things turn awry like in the Rakuzan match, Kuroko would be the one who suggests a new strategy, to 'give Ryou-kun a break and allow him to play'. And remembering the Rakuzan match, Takeuchi was completely fooled by the boys.

For Seirin, during their campaign, they ended meeting Kirisaki Daiichi, and upon hearing the story from Hyuuga about what happened to Kiyoshi, Kuroko revealed a side that no one has ever seen before. The boy was absolutely merciless in his analysis, and that day, he made sure to sit on Seirin's bench to give them instructions should anything go wrong. Kise had realized that Kuroko got his 'evil' side from his mother.

They then met Shutoku and managed to tie against them, Kuroko didn't help as he had Kaijou's opponent to analyze.

The other teams that had the miracles were also targeting Kaijou, neither of them really caring who they were matched up against if it wasn't the Blue Elites. It was in one of the rounds that Kaijou encountered Fukuda Shogo, the school which Haizaki currently attended. For that match, Kise was especially blood thirsty, and as always, putting his trust into Kuroko to watch his back, Kaijou demolished Fukuda Shogo, Kise crushing Haizaki with his copies of the miracles.

Aomine had especially wanted to face Kuroko once again, but more so, since he was informed that they had switched back, he wanted to see just how well Kise was in _his_ body. Sadly, his wish never came true that year. For the quarter-finals, it was Kaijou versus Yosen, Seirin versus Touou.

Aomine didn't mind this, as he got to play Kagami, this time at full strength. And this was a match to remember. In the final quarter, the two aces had entered the zone, and what was even more, since Aomine got beaten before, he learned to trust his teammates more, and well, Kagami had always had that, so the two ended up unlocking the second door, and it left the crowd and those at homes in shock. But, Seirin won by a basket, and even though Kuroko isn't wearing their uniform anymore, that didn't stop him from helping out in their strategical warfare.

For the Kaijou versus Yosen match, it was one hell of a match. With Kuroko's crazy strategies, they maneuvered around them so much that Murasakibara had to move from under the net within the first half. They had gained a player named Himuro Tatsuya which pissed off Kuroko because his fakes were so perfect and he ruined some part of his plans. But, Kise was a beast, especially in the fourth quarter. His, Kuroko's and Kasamatsu's combination was lethal, savage to be exact. With the three of them able to pass around the ball, Moriyama and Nakamura made threes until their arms felt like jello.

For the semis, it was Kaijou versus Shutoku, Seirin versus Rakuzan. During the Kaijou versus Shutoku match, Midorima was nothing less than frightening, being that he played against 'Kuroko' and lost. And now, seeing him before his eyes made the green-haired shooter almost blind with revenge. His and Takao's combo was annoying, as even though the shooter was blocked, he'd jump without the ball and then bam! The ball suddenly appeared in his hands. Kaijou had applauded Takao for this feat, but they had left that after they kicked their ass. Yes, Shutoku lost, Kuroko's wacky strategies having them for a loop.

The Seirin versus Rakuzan match was amazing as well, but with the original Akashi back, added to that, he trusts in his teammates these days, made them a formidable foe for Seirin. At one point it had seemed to be a lost cause for them, as the Emperor's team had all gone into the zone. Kuroko had helped them with a plan and it was what had helped saved their hides. Since Kagami was the only one who could enter the zone, they'd have to save his zone for the fourth quarter. That said, Seirin had beaten Rakuzan by a hair. Thanks to Izuki performing one of Kuroko's crazy passes.

The finals between Seirin and Kaijou had the gymnasium rammed; almost all televisions around the country were tuned to the station that broadcasted Winter Cup live. From summer people wanted to see this showdown and their wish came through. But this match was something that most people deemed should go down in history.

Kaijou's antics throughout the match proved to everyone that they defied all laws of logic and reasoning, their formations and strategies driving Seirin up the wall, Kagami losing his temper many times throughout the match, Kuroko having to be the one to calm him down _every time._

But that didn't mean Seirin didn't have any tricks up their sleeves. They too managed to throw a wrench in Kuroko's plans, but, how little they had known about the blue-haired teen. When that happened, a time-out was called, and Kuroko absolutely murdered them during that time, ripping them about and leaving nothing to chance. He was savage. He was diabolical. Kise and everyone else were glad that he was on their team, even though they were still fooled thinking that Kise was the one who made their strategies.

The match was high paced right throughout, the ball flying all over the place, the audience finding it hard to keep track. Hyuuga was unstoppable, as his training had intensified. While Midorima can shoot from anywhere on the court, he was the opposite, only being able to shoot from the three point line. But, no defender could block him. Even if they pushed and shoved, his shots always made it in. However, his clutch personality got even worse. Izuki's passes were lethal; Kiyoshi despite having a knee injury held his own under the net, Koganei had gotten better so too did Tsuchida and Mitobe. Kagami was a beast. The only person that took him on was Kise as the blond wanted to see just how well could he fare against the redhead while in _his_ body.

Oh dear.

Their battle started from the third quarter, and back and forth the teams went. It shook the gymnasium, the war of the aces leaving everyone stunned. By the time the match entered the fourth quarter, people had to wonder if they were really watching a match between high school students. Kise, Kuroko and Kagami had all entered the zone, their teammates reaching into a pseudo-zone state as well. When the match ended (Kaijou won by a basket), the entire gym had let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. The match left them breathless, absolutely stunned.

It was strange, that no one cheered or hollered or screamed, the two teams were just too amazing that the crowd had kept quiet to take it in properly. Even the miracles who watched the match were rendered speechless at the two. _Demons,_ they had concluded. Yes, that was a strangely befitting title.

And so, Kaijou became Winter Cup champions, and thus going down in high school basketball history as one of the few teams that managed to claim both Inter-High and Winter Cup of the same year. The Blues cheered and rejoiced, Takeuchi tore up. The third years ― Kasamatsu, Moriyama and Kobori broke down seeing that in their final year of Kaijou they took both championships. Kise had embraced Kuroko in such a suffocating hug, Kuroko didn't mind, he was used to it.

Seirin sulked a little, but congratulated the Blues, and after the whole medal ceremony, the two teams continued with their antics, the referees and match officials just let them be, knowing that these two teams had a screw loose (especially Kaijou).

Of course, winning the Winter Cup meant that journalists were hounding them for information and interviews. But as usual, the only one they talked to was Reiko of Basketball Monthly, otherwise known as Kise's big sister. She extracted information from them and when she was satisfied, she left a bouncing ball of energy while Kaijou looked like they've been sucked dry. Afterwards, Seirin, Kaijou along with the rest of the miracles and their partners went out to eat, and it was then that the miracles (except Aomine and Momoi) learnt of Kuroko and Kise's relationship.

Midorima's glasses shattered, Murasakibara choked on a maibou, and Akashi seemed to be lost. As for their teams and partners, they simply congratulated the two. They then got another shocker, and this one made them incapacitated for several minutes. They had spotted the ring dangling from a chain around Kuroko's neck and so out of curiosity, Akashi had asked about it. When Kuroko had _jokingly_ replied stating that it was his engagement ring that 'Ryou-chan' had bought for him, they nearly died.

Well, curiosity always kills the cat.

When Christmas came around, the two models once more worked on a shoot for the holidays, this time it was more fun than the previous. Kise was Santa while Kuroko was an elf. In one photo, the two were seen riding a sleigh; the background was the Winter sky, indicating that they were flying. The reindeers weren't shown, but it showed Kise holding the reins while Kuroko pointed directly in front of him, both had on grins on their faces. Yet another themed shoot ended up a success.

When Basketball Monthly had published their issue on Kaijou, it raised Kise and Kuroko's popularity, males in Kaijou envying them even more and so on. Many schools had given them offers for transfers and such, but neither boy would budge. The Seirin players faced the same thing, Hyuuga and Kagami more so than the others.

And so, Kuroko and Kise's remaining two years of high school carried on normally, minus their horde of fangirls that they face every day, the retirement of their Senpai…from their first year with Kasamatsu and the others, to their second year with Hayakawa, Nakamura, Shinohara and Matsumoto.

In their third year, they were made captain and vice ― Kise was the captain and Kuroko was his vice; two reasons for that, Takeuchi believing that Kise was the one who was making all those strategies and well Kuroko was savage in that aspect too.

It was also in their final year that they had gone out with a bang, managing to win the two championships again. This time, it was both Kuroko and Kise that worked on their strategies and formation as spending time with Kuroko over the years had made him adopt some of the boy's thinking. Their formations and plans were far crazier this time around; leaving everyone they played wondering about Kuroko and Kise's sanity (Basketball Monthly had highlighted them as the brains behind Kaijou's crazy antics). Even Seirin were at a loss when they had encountered them.

Kuroko's promise with Seirin was also fulfilled that year, as they had all gathered at a street court in Tokyo and had a match. It was extremely tough, playing against the Miracles, worse Kise can copy them so it felt like playing against ten of them at once. But nevertheless, Seirin and Kuroko were determined bastards, and they managed to pull through barely, just barely to win.

And so, their continued on peacefully, even into their college lives, although they didn't play basketball for their respective schools, they made street ball teams and participated in those competitions. Well, that's another story. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This is it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
